This study investigated the effects of different grazing intensities on leaf functional traits and aboveground biomass of Stipa breviflora and Cleistogenes songorica in desert steppe of Inner Mongolia. Based on the long-term grazing platform， no grazing （CK）， light grazing （LG）， moderate grazing （MG） and heavy grazing （HG） treatments were set up. The relationships between aboveground biomass of plant community and the quantitative characteristics of dominant plants and leaf functional traits were analyzed. The results showed that with the increase of grazing intensity， the average height， total coverage and aboveground biomass of plant communities decreased significantly（P<0.05）. The density was the highest in MG treatment. The leaf functional traits of S.breviflora decreased with the increase of grazing intensity， but the leaf dry matter content of C.songorica increased significantly. The aboveground biomass of plant community was significantly positively correlated with the height of two dominant plants and negatively correlated with the density. The decrease of specific leaf area and the increase of leaf dry matter content of C.songorica inhibited the accumulation of aboveground biomass of plant community. Therefore， under moderate grazing， dominant plants adjusted leaf functional traits and population structure to maintain grassland productivity and ecosystem stability； heavy grazing led to the degradation of ecosystem function.

Grazing intensity  /  Desert steppe  /  Leaf functional traits  /  Aboveground biomass  /  Dominant plants