To elucidate the variation patterns of glomalin-related soil protein （GRSP） and their underlying drivers during the degradation and restoration of alpine meadows， this study quantified key soil physicochemical properties， soil organic carbon （SOC）， easily extractable GRSP （E-GRSP）， and total GRSP （T-GRSP） in both the 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm soil layers. The relationships between these variables and potential driving factors were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis and redundancy analysis. Results showed that in the 0-10 cm layer， SOC decreased significantly with grassland degradation （P<0.05）， and artificial restoration was more effective than natural regeneration in enhancing SOC levels. Both E-GRSP and T-GRSP in the 0-10 cm layer exhibited an initial decline followed by a subsequent increase during the processes of degradation and recovery （P<0.05）， whereas the ratios of E-GRSP/SOC and T-GRSP/SOC displayed an opposite trend. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a highly significant positive correlation （P<0.01） between T-GRSP， E-GRSP， and SOC across the 0-20 cm soil profile. Redundancy analysis indicated that SOC was the primary explanatory variable for variations in both GRSP content and GRSP/SOC ratios throughout the 0-20 cm soil depth. Collectively， these findings suggest that grassland restoration promotes the preservation of GRSP in alpine meadow soils， and increased GRSP content contributes to enhanced SOC accumulation， highlighting its crucial role in soil carbon sequestration and the stability of soil carbon pools. This study provides valuable insights into carbon sequestration mechanisms in grassland ecosystems， supports improvements in soil structure stability， facilitates soil quality assessment， and offers practical guidance for ecological restoration efforts.

Glomalin-related soil protein  /  Soil organic carbon  /  Qinghai-Tibet Plateau  /  Alpine grassland  /  Grassland restoration