The effect of grazing intensity on the multifractal structure of the spatial distribution of Cleistogenes songorica

An experiment was conducted in the Stipa breviflora desert steppe on the Inner Mongolian Plateau with four grazing intensity treatments: control with no grazing (CK), light grazing (LG), moderate grazing (MG), and heavy grazing (HG). The multifractal degree of the Cleistogenes songorica spatial distribution increased with the increase in grazing intensity, and the multifractal characteristics of C. songorica were the most complex in CK. The complexity of the multifractal characteristics increased with increasing grazing intensity across the LG, MG, and HG treatments, but were less complex than those in CK. In the LG and MG treatments, the evenness of the C. songorica spatial distribution was larger than that of the other treatments. In the CK treatment, the complexity of the C. songorica spatial distribution was mainly determined by the propagation, dispersal, and competitiveness of the mother tillers in the plant community. The complexity of the C. songorica spatial distribution was mainly determined by selective foraging due to sheep grazing, tramping by sheep movement, and plant tolerance to grazing.