tiveVegetationEcology,InstituteofBotany,ChineseAcademyofSciences,Beijing100093,China;2.GraduateSchool,ChineseAcademyofSciences,Beijing100039,China)Abstract:Sandydesertification,paniedbythethicketizationofgrasslandiswidespreadinthesemiaridre-gionsofInnerMongolia,China.Thestateandtransitionmodel,ageneralmodelforthedynamicsofgrazingsys-temindry-lands,canbeappliedtothiskindofdesertification.Assuch,frameworkfortheresearchintothisprocesshasbeendeveloped.ponentofdesertification,thispaperproposesahypothesisonthemechanismofthicketizationofthesemiaridgrasslandsinInnerMongolia.Tempora-lspatialreplacementisappliedinordertoresearchthiskindofsandydesertification.Thispaperalsodiscusesthesignif-icanceofthestudy.Keywords:InnerMongolia;semiaridgrassland;desertification;thicketization;stateandtransitionmodel