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.