Abstract:As an important biological component in arid and semi-arid regions, biological soil crusts (BSCs) have an important influence on biogeochemical cycle in the ecological process of the region. The effects of biological crust on soil properties under two soil types (loess soil and aeolian sand soil) and three vegetation communities (Stipa bungeana, Artemisia ordosica and Populus simonii communities, farmland as the control) were studied. The results showed that:(1) There was a significant difference among soil physical and chemical properties between BSC layer and 0-10 cm layer (p<0.05). (2) There was no significant difference in soil properties under the three plant community habitats. (3) Soil properties, such as C, N, C/N, Mg, Mn, δ13C and δ15N, and so on, showed the significant differences in the 0-10 cm soil layer under the three plant community habitats, but there no significant difference in soil properties under aeolian sand soil between A. ordosica community and P. simonii community, which indicated that the difference of soil properties in the 0-10 cm soil layer among sampling sites was mainly affected by the characteristics of the soil type itself. (4) The spatial ordering and variations between BSC layer and 0-10 cm layer samples under different vegetation community and soil type habitats were obvious, indicating that the differences in soil properties were dependent on the comprehensive effect of multiple factors in the habitat. Soil type, vegetation and biological crust were important factors for the prediction of spatial heterogeneity of surface soil in this region.