Leaf functional traits reflect plant adaptation strategies to varied environments, producing adaptive changes to different environmental gradients. This field study investigated dominant plant species of four vegetation types-desert grassland, shallow mountain shrub, subalpine coniferous forest, and subalpine shrub meadow-on the eastern slope of the Helan Mountains in China. Applying the CSR (Competitor-Stress tolerant-Ruderal) ecological strategy model at both the species and community level, we analyzed trade-offs in five leaf economic traits along the S-R (stress tolerant-ruderal) axis by comparing the specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), and per-unit-area content of carbon (LC), nitrogen (LN), and phosphorus (LP). The results revealed three key findings. (1) At the species level, 60 dominants plants were classified into five strategy types, with S (stress tolerant) being the prevailing strategy (64.4%). (2) At the community level, the 36 plots exhibited six strategy types, predominantly S (56.2%) and SR (stress tolerant-ruderal, 25%). (3) The S strategy correlated positively with LC(P<0.05), and negatively with SLA(P<0.05), but vice versa for the R strategy. (4) The slope degree, soil moisture content, and altitude positively influenced the S strategy but negatively affected both R and C strategies, while soil pH had opposite effects. Altogether, these results demonstrate that plants have adjust their functional traits (e.g., SLA, leaf nutrient contents) to modulate resource acquisition and allocation, forming distinct ecological strategies in response to environmental heterogeneity.