Technical Abstract: Restoration of bunchgrass steppe lands will safeguard priority habitats, improve conditions for wildlife and reduce soil degradation. Microorganisms in the soil and soil crusts are a critical part of the native steppe or meadow steppe ecosystem, but little is known about the management of these communities to enhance restoration. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles from soil can be used to describe soil microbial and soil biotic community structure without reliance on culturing soil microorganisms, which may underestimate community structure. We compared the soil microbial communities as determined by FAME profiles in various grasslands dominated by non-native and native plants. We found differences between the microbial communities associated with Idaho fescue/common snowberry associations and bluebunch wheatgrass-Sandberg`s blue grass associations. No differences were seen between the FAME profiles of stands dominated by non-native and native plants. Non-native species-especially annual bromes, such as cheatgrass, ventenata and perennial Kentucky bluegrass are present even in communities dominated by native grasses and forbs, which may be the reason for the similarity in microbial communities among these plant communities. The FAME analysis may be useful to differentiate among soil biota under various plant species. Knowledge of microbial community dynamics in grassland systems may aid the development of successful restoration strategies.