On the same plain

A lifelong love for the grasslands has inspired Xin Xiaoping's research that is key to cultivating a sustainable future for such environments, Li Yingxue reports.

As a leading expert in her field, Xin Xiaoping quite literally has a natural passion for the grasslands of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and she loves nothing more than to travel out to the plains to take samples to study back at her laboratory.

Using a sampling square called a quadrat - a simple 1-square-meter frame - which she lays on the ground at a chosen spot, Xin takes samples of all the plants found within it, taking care to place each species of plant in a separate envelope. She then digs down to take soil samples every 10 centimeters to a depth of 80 cm beneath the surface.