Eremurus anisopterus (Liliaceae) is a perennial ephemeral geophyte herb. In China, E. anisopterus grows on fixed and semi-fixed sand dunes of the Gurbantunggut Desert of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. This kind of ephemeral plant contributes greatly to the stabilization of sand. But increasing human activity has fragmented the primary habitat of the E. anisopterus population in the southern Gurbantunggut Desert, resulting in numerous separate population patches. And the frequent human activities, including engineering, reclamation of waste land, industrial discharge and over grazing, severely influence the survival and reproduction of ephemeral plants, more and more ephemeral plants are dying out. The goal of our study was to determine the current survival rates of E. anisopterus populations in different patches. Therefore, we surveyed 19 plots and analyzed age structure, constructed a time-specific life table, produced survivorship and mortality curves, as well as survival analysis function curves. Our results indicated that because of the various levels of human disturbance and habitat fragmentation, population dynamics of E. anisopterus in the 19 plots exhibited different structural features and trends. The age structure of E. anisopterus populations differed among the plots. The age classes within the populations were incomplete, and this phenomenon occurred more frequently in the plots in highly fragmented areas. The age structure of the b-type and c-type patches, based on the degree of fragmentation and human disturbance, exhibited a stable to declining growth trend. Population structure of the a-type patches in the most disturbed areas exhibited greater instability, with the population at higher risk of decline. The a-type population exhibited stability in the early and populations, declines in the early phase and stability in the intermediate and later phases occurred, whereas the c-type populations were stable. Therefore, it is critical to decrease or halt external disturbances in areas subjected to the greatest levels of human intermediate phases according to the survivorship curve, and in the early, intermediate, and later phases according to the survival analysis function curve. The plant population structure is the common result of the survivability of individuals and the impact of environmental conditions, and may also provide important information on the past and present regeneration of species. So the decline in E. anisopterus populations likely resulted from habitat loss in the later phase. For the b-type disturbance. Studies should examine the effects of different combinations of disturbance factors on population status in different habitats to formulate scientific and practical protection and recovery strategies.