Heavy grazing causes plant cluster fragmentation of sparse grasses.

, as a clustered grass, is the main grassland flora of the desert grassland. Some studies have shown that the constructive species of (sparse cluster type) is prone to cluster fragmentation; however, research on is relatively rare. Then will the plant population (dense cluster type) also have cluster fragmentation under the influence of intense grazing? To answer this question, we used variance analysis and geo-statistical methods. The spatial distribution of in desert steppe in Inner Mongolia was measured under four grazing intensities (no grazing, CK, 0 sheep·ha·half year; light grazing, LG, 0.93 sheep·ha·half year; moderate grazing, MG, 1.82 sheep·ha·half year; and heavy grazing, HG, 2.71 sheep·ha·half year) and four scales (10 cm × 10 cm, 20 cm × 20 cm, 25 cm × 25 cm, 50 cm × 50 cm). We then analyzed whether fragmentation was present. The results showed that increased grazing intensity is associated with increased density and decreased height, coverage, and standing crop of . The spatial distribution of was affected by structural factors, and spatial heterogeneity decreased with increased spatial scale. With increased grazing intensity and spatial scale, the patch area of gradually increased and tended toward band distribution. In summary, increased grazing intensity and spatial scale led to weakened heterogeneity of spatial distribution and increased consistency.