To probe the features of the ecosystem in degraded lands

the research was implemented with pot culture method to understand the coupling responses between the plants and degraded soil under Cu stress. The results show that Cu affected substantially the growth of the tested plants in soils rich in Cu.Under Cu stress

Amorpha fruticosa L.and Pueraria lobataevolved into the dominant species

and the growth of Catalpa bungei

Quercus acutissima Carruth.and CatalpaovataG.Don were restricted and limited to a certain area

but Sedum lineare Thunb and Festuca arundinacea were eliminated in the end.The Cu-resistant plants partially affected the properties of the soil used for pot culture during the period of growth:organic matter content and dehydrogenase activity of tested soil were improved significantly

pH value and total Kjeldahl Nitrogen content remained stable

while P

K and Cu concentrations decreased to some extent.It was concluded that the plants interacted asymmetrically with soil in the ecosystem.For instance

the soil affects obviously the growth of plant merely by one of its limiting factors

whereas the plant influences multiple variables of the soil in the growth process.