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Abstract Body size (or mass) variations and their relationships with environmental variability have been well documented for many species at the local scale, while the effects of climate, combined with soil nutrients, on plant mass in large‐scale gradient remain unclear. Herein, detailed surveys were conducted to investigate plant mass (PM, aboveground mass per plant) variations of Leymus chinensis and their relationship with environmental factors (e.g., climate, soil nutrient, and microbial diversity) at 18 wild sites along a large‐scale gradient from 114 to 124° E in northeastern China. Based on site‐by‐site analyses, the plant mass of the species varied significantly from east to west along the gradient. It initially increased, peaking at middle sites, and then dropped with the increase of drought in both dry and rainy seasons. Plant mass at the eastern end was almost equal to that at the western end and was equivalent to 1/2 and 1/3 of middle sites. The average plant mass in the rainy season was about 50% greater than that in the dry season (F1,1078 = 489.80, p |
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