TheGurbantunggutDesertisthelargeststableandsemi-stablesanddesertinChina,yetfewdataexistonvegetationpatternandspecies-environmentrelationshipsforthesepersedesertlandscapes.Thesanddunesofthesurveyareaaremainlyofthelongitudinalformfromnorthtosouth,butcheckerboard-shapedandhoneycomb-shapedformsarealsopresent,withtheheightof10-50m.Wemeasuredvegetationandsoildataonnorth-southtransectsandcomparedthemwithvegetationandsoildataoneast-westtransects.Analysisrevealedthatthevaryingtrendandstrengthofthespeciespersity,dominanceandcoveroftheplantcommunitiesinthelongitudinalandtransversedirectionsacrossthelandscapearesignificantlydifferent.TheresultsofCCAordinationshowthatthemicro-habitatsofsoilorganicmatter(OM),soilsalts(TS),sortingindex(σ),topsoilwater-content(SM)andpHrelatetothedifferencesinvegetationobservedasdifferencesinspeciesassemblagefromsalt-intolerantephemerals,micro-subshrubsandsubshrubstosalt-tolerantshrubsandmicro-arbors.Theterrain(alt.)andsoiltexture(thecontentsofMzandφ1)affectthespatialdifferentiationofmanyspecies.However,thisspatialdifferentiationisnotsomarkedontransectsrunninglongitudinallywiththelandscape,inthesamedirectionasthedunes.Thespeciesofthedesertvegetationhaveformedthreeassemblagesundertheactionofhabitatgradients,relatingtothreesectionsrunningtransverselyacrossthelandscape,atrightanglestothedirectionofthedunecrests.Inthemid-eastsectionofthestudyareathetopographyishigher,withsand-landsordune-slopeswithcoarseparticles.HerethedominantvegetationcomprisesshrubsandsubshrubsofSeriphidiumsantoliumandEphedradistachya,withlargenumbersofephemeralandephemeroidplantsofSeneciosubdentatus,andCarexphysodesinspringandsummer.Onthesoilofthedune-slopesinthemidwestofthestudyarea,withcoarseparticlesandabundantTK,theplantassemblageofHaloxylonpersicu
