Relationship Between Species Diversity and Community Stability of Vegetation Patches in Thymus mongolicus Steppe, China

Grassland ecosystems play a crucial role in sustaining the stability of global ecosystem functions. However, the plant communities of grasslands exhibit spatially heterogeneous stability patterns such as vegetation patches influenced by human disturbances, herbivore activities, and climatic and topographic factors. This study investigated the vegetation dynamics in the <i>Thymus mongolicus</i> steppe in Bairin Right Banner, Inner Mongolia, analyzing the structural characteristics, species diversity, and community stability across six vegetation patches. Our findings revealed that patches dominated by grasses exhibited the highest values in coverage, height, density, and aboveground biomass. Besides, species diversity indices were highest in <i>Achnatherum splendens</i> patches and <i>Festuca litvinovii</i> patches, followed by <i>Thymus mongolicus</i> communities and <i>Leymus chinensis</i> patches, while the lowest diversity indices were observed in <i>Artemisia frigida</i> patches and <i>Convolvulus ammannii</i> patches. The order of community stability from high to low was <i>Leymus chinensis</i> patches, <i>Festuca litvinovii</i> patches, <i>Achnatherum splendens</i> patches, <i>Convolvulus ammannii</i> patches, <i>Artemisia frigida</i> patches, and <i>Thymus mongolicus</i> communities. Both the Patrick richness index and Margalef index showed a significant positive correlation with community stability (<i>p</i> < 0.05), indicating that plant communities with a higher species diversity tend to be more stable. These results emphasize the critical role of plant diversity in mediating community stability and contribute to the development of more effective grassland conservation and restoration strategies to maintain the health and sustainability of grassland ecosystems.