The environmental characteristics (mean annual precipitation MAP, mean annual temperature MAT, and major soil types) and species diversity composition (α, β and γ) of the seven steppe community types and of the three vegetation types in the Inner Mongolia grassland.

The β diversity has two components of β nestedness diversity (βN) and β replacement diversity (βR). The diversity values are the mean ± s.e.m of species number recorded in ten plots at each site. The percentage of α and β diversity in γ diversity are also shown as α% and β%.