Abstract: A field experiment was conducted on the Stipa baicalensis grassland in Inner Mongolia to study the effects of grazing on plant root distribution, and analyzed the correlations of the root distribution with soil physicochemical properties. Grazing induced a significant change in root distribution. The root biomass in 0-10 cm soil layer accounted for 65.9%-82.6% of the total biomass in 0-40 cm soil layer. The roots with diameter ≥2 mm and <1 mm were more sensitive to grazing. The root distribution had definite correlations with soil bulk density, moisture content, contents of total nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic carbon, and cation exchange capacity. Grazing affected the distribution of plant roots with different diameters mainly through affecting soil physicochemical properties, and the characteristics of the root distribution had certain feedback on the soil physicochemical properties.

Key words: Semiarid region of western Liaoning Province, Artificial forest, Conservation of water resources, Canopy interception, Water holding of litter, Soil water conservation