Abstract: This paper researched the morphological plasticity of clonal plant ramets at individual and population level, clonal configuration and ramet population characteristics of Stipagrostis pennata in different habitats (different slope positions, associated with different plant communities, different mobile dunes) in the Gurbantunggut Desert, Junggar Basin, Xinjiang. The average height of ramets, internode length, number of tillers, root diameter, underground rhizomes, average length of underground rhizomes of S. pennata were measured and analyzed, and the parameters of clonal configuration and the ramet  population characteristics of S. pennata in different habitats were studied. The results showed that the strength of ramets of S. pennata was high, the branches were more, and the spacer among ramets (internode length) was highly reduced, so S. pennata was in a typical “intensive” clonal growth pattern. Moreover, after compared the ramet population characteristics of S. pennata at different slope positions of semi-fixed sand dunes, it was revealed that the number of tillers and the average rhizome length of S. pennata at the dune top were significantly higher than those at the dune bottom. After analyzing the ramet population characteristics of S. pennata associated with different plant communities, it was revealed that the branches of S. pennata associated with Lappula myosotis community were obviously more than those associated with Seriphidium terraealbae, the branching density was higher, and the average rhizome length was shorter. Compared with semi-fixed dune, S. pennata growing at fixed dune had significantly the larger numbers of tillers and rhizomes, longer root diameter and higher aboveground biomass and underground rhizome biomass. The ramet population characteristics of S. pennata in different habitats were discussed based on the integration of clonal plants at the aspects of resources utilization and phenotypic plasticity.

Key words: Stipagrostis pennata, morphological plasticity, clonal configuration, ramet population, Gurbantunggut Desert