Abstract:Since its establishment, the Ordos Sandland Ecological Research Station, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as Ordos Station) has aimed at the serious problem of the desertification in sandy grasslands in China. Taking the sandy grassland ecosystem as the research object, the Ordos Station has conducted long-term monitoring and research on the process and mechanism of grassland desertification at all levels, which has provided theoretical basis and experimental demonstration for regional economic sustainable development, combating desertification and environmental management. Over the past 30 years, based on long-term monitoring, field investigation, and long-term experiments, the Ordos Station has revealed the process and mechanism maintaining the stability of sandy grassland ecosystems under climatic change and human disturbance, which has led the research of sandy plant ecology and had an important impact in China and abroad. The main contributions include:(1) revealed the diversified adaptation strategies of sandy plants to the environment; (2) clarified the coupling relationship among plant traits and large-scale variation patterns of biodiversity; (3) verified the regulation mechanism of biological/abiotic factors on the structure and function of sandy ecosystem; and (4) creatively put forward the optimized "3-circles" eco-productive paradigm for sustainable management of desert lands, which has promoted regional sustainable development. These contributions have provided theoretical and technical supports for the restoration and reconstruction of sandy grassland ecosystems and the improvement of ecological functions in China.