Grouping plant species sharing similar structure and function would increase our ability to predict vegetation dynamics and ecosystem function under natural or man-induced environmental changes at a global scale. At the same time, grouping plant species may provide some degrees of simplification to understand the ecological function of plants in key ecosystem processes. Studying differences in plant traits of different functional groups and their relationship with soil environment is crucial for fully grasping the environmental adaptation strategies of plants. However, meaningful variation in functional characteristics that might help group plants across narrow environmental gradients, such as those of arid ecosystems, were scarcely described. In this study, plants in high and low soil moisture and salinity environments in the Ebinur Lake Basin were divided into five functional groups according to nine morphological and chemical traits related to plant persistence and stress resistance, such as plant height and the contents of leaf carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium. Besides, the plant composition, traits difference, and relationship with soil environment of different functional groups were analyzed. The results showed that:(1) the composition of plant functional groups was different in different soil moisture and salinity environments; Nitraria tangutorum, Populus euphratica, and Apocynum venetum were detected in both environments. (2) Plant functional traits changed adaptively in high and low soil moisture and salinity environments. The plant height and leaf carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and calcium contents of three functional groups in the high soil moisture and salinity environment were significantly higher than those in the low soil moisture and salinity environment (P<0.05); The contents of sulfur, sodium, and magnesium in leaves of two functional groups in the low soil moisture and salinity environment were higher than those in the high soil moisture and salinity environment. (3) Soil volume water content (SVWC), electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and soil phosphorus concentration had the greater impact on the functional traits of desert plants. In the high soil moisture and salinity environment, soil EC and pH were positively correlated with plant height and leaf potassium and calcium contents, while negatively correlated with leaf sulfur content. In the low soil moisture and salinity environment, SVWC and EC were significantly positively correlated with plant height (P<0.05). The study helps to understand the adaptation responses of desert plants to the extreme environments and provides a theoretical basis for the conservation of biodiversity in desert areas.