Grazing and topography are key factors influencing the structure and function of alpine shrub ecosystems， but their effects on shrub populations and communities remain unclear. For this purpose， this study explored the effects of topography （three types of slope positions） and grazing （three distances from livestock enclosure） on the dominant species of alpine shrubland Caragana jubata and the companion species Thalictrum alpinum in the Qilian Mountain Grassland Agricultural Demonstration Area. The results showed that： 1） The distance from livestock enclosure explained the plant height and height-to-crown ratio of the Caragana jubata as 45.10% and 46.80% （P<0.01）， and the plant height， height-to-crown ratio and density of the Thalictrum alpinum as 46.50%， 40.60%（P<0.01） and 55.30% （P<0.001）. The topography only affects the population coverage of the Caragana jubata， which can explain that the coverage of the Caragana jubata is 22.30% （P<0.05）. 2） The overlap degree of the ecological niches of the Caragana jubata and the Thalictrum alpinum is the lowest at a distance of 400 meters between the livestock enclosure and the highest at 1200 meters. 3） The plant height， crown breadth and density of the population of Thalictrum alpinum significantly affected the community coverage， with an interpretation rate of 35.3% （P<0.05）. The community coverage significantly affected the population density of Thalictrum alpinum， with an interpretation rate of 25.1%（P<0.01）. The plant height， density and importance value of the population of Caragana jubata significantly affected the community coverage， with an interpretation rate of 57.6%（P<0.01）. This study reveals the role of grazing and topography in influencing the shrub-herbaceous competitive balance in alpine shrublands by regulating population growth and its population-community relationship， providing a scientific basis for grazing in complex topography.

Population  /  Community  /  Height  /  Crown breadth  /  Companion species