Abstract: By using research method of landscape ecology, O-ring statistics in point pattern analysis and Programita software, this paper studied the fragmentation, spatial distribution patterns of mound patches and hole collapse patches of Rhombomys opimus and their associations with artificial Haloxylon ammodendron population at Garden and Orchard sampling plots in Minqin Oasis-desert Ecotone, Gansu. The results showed that:(1) Fragmentation of hole collapse patches was considerably larger than that of mound patches, and overall fragmentation of Garden sampling plot was larger than that of Orchard sampling plot. (2) The collapse patches had a clumped distribution at 0-3.8 m scale, a random distribution at 3.8-5 m scale, a uniform distribution at 5-10 m scale; The mound patches in Orchard sampling plot and collapse patches in Garden sampling plot were distributed randomly at all the scales; The mound patches of Garden sampling plot had a clumped distribution at 0-4.6m scale but a random distribution at 4.6-10 m scale. (3) The impact of artificial H. ammodendron population on collapse patches was minimal in two sampling plots, and the mound patches were clearly protected from wind erosion by the species at 1-4.4 m scale in Garden sampling plots, but the protection was not enough in Orchard sampling plots because of the less individual size and low coverage. (4) No significant difference in the average area of two kinds of patches was observed among different sampling plots and positions that outside and under canopy of H. ammodendron.

Key words: collapse of mouse hole, mound, patch, fragmentation, artificial Haloxylon ammodendron population, spatial pattern