Abstract: In this paper, we determined soil organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus at 20 cm soil layer of Salix psammophila community, Caragana microphylla + C. korshinskii community, Artemisia ordosica community and Stipa bungeana community with 142 sample plots in the Ningxia Habahu National Nature Reserve in 2013 and in 2018, and analyzed the changes of soil nutrients of five years of the whole reserve. The results showed that, from 2013 to 2018, as to the whole reserve, the soil organic matter increased 52.46% significantly, the soil total nitrogen increased 154.14% significantly, and the soil total phosphorus increased 21.75%; as for 57 sample plots of A. ordosica communities, soil organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus significantly increased 57.64%, 323.50%, and 33.58%, respectively. The soil organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus were higher than those of the whole reserve. This illustrated the land desertification of the reserve took place obvious change, meantime, the changes of soil nutrients influenced dynamics of plant community of the Ningxia Habahu National Nature Reserve.

Key words: land desertification, soil nutrient, Artemisia ordosica community, Ningxia Habahu National Nature Reserve