The objectives were to clarify whether the effect of grazing pressure on vegetation coverage changed with plant functional type and its palatability in different climate.Twenty-one winter camps were selected from Caragana steppe. Study sites were different in livestock number, proportion of livestock combination and period of land use. Winter camps were classified into two groups of north and south by the species construction, but the boundary lines of each year shifted slightly which indicated the presence of transit area between north and south. Under the lack of intensive grazing pressure at 1600m site, vegetation coverage of palatable species in the north group was higher than the sough group suggesting the keeping of favorable grassland under suitable climate. Changes in vegetation structure along the grazing gradient indicated the remarkable changes from unpalatable plants to palatable grass in both north and south groups.

Key words: grazing intensity, vegetation coverage, palatability, Mongolia