The aim of the studies is to investigate the relationship between properties of plant roots and physical soil in alpine Kobresia humilis meadows at different degradation stages,using the spatial scale instead of temporal scale. The results showed that: the principal part of construction of root system in the alpine Kobresia meadow was slender roots, meanwhile the roots obviously distributed with the configuration of "V" type from the ground to the bottom, and the diameter of the root system was mostly less than 0.5 mm (90.8%-93.6% of total root length). There was a significant positive correlation between soil compactness, soil moisture, and plant root diameter refinement. While, there was a negative correlation between soil temperature and root attenuation, that means soil temperature was the major contributor to establish the root growth pattern, in other words the alpine Kobresia meadow was mainly temperature-controlled grassland ecosystem.Secondly, there was a interact effect on root attenuation, root aggregation, and the physical soil properties in the alpine Kobresia meadow. Low temperature, high compactness, and relatively high soil moisture were the contributors to form the high density and root configuration. The change of the root configuration is a positive response of plant communities to livestock grazing disturbance and the severe weather. Those findings provide a theoretical basis for explaining the response and adaptation to grassland degradation, and it is useful to formulate reasonable and effective restoration measures for degraded alpine meadows.