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Understanding the relationship between the aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and annual precipitation in arid and semiarid grasslands is crucial for assessing the effects of climate change on grassland ecosystems. The temporal pattern of ANPP, based on long-term data on a semiarid ecosystem in Inner Mongolia, was investigated. The biomass of perennial grasses, perennial forbs and Stipa grandis P. Smirn., showed a positive relationship with annual precipitation. The amount of annual precipitation also changed the annual biomass of 13 other dominant species and consequently the ANPP. The coefficient of variation of the ANPP of the plant community was lower than the coefficient of variation of annual precipitation. Irrespective of the strong inter-annual variation in annual precipitation, the positive relationship found between ANPP and annual precipitation suggests the dependence of ANPP upon hydrological variations in typical steppe. Our findings highlight the importance of dominant perennial species and functional groups in mediating the responses of ANPP to annual precipitation in the typical steppe in northern China.