Abstract: The ground substrate is the basic material of the Earth's surface layer that nurtures and supports various natural resources such as forests, grasslands, water and wetlands, etc. Influenced by the spatial structure of the Earth's key zones and elemental characteristics, the ground substrate of the hill area presents obvious spatial heterogeneity characteristics, and significantly influences the spatial distribution of the vegetation belonging to it and its ecological evolution.The study of the spatial heterogeneity characteristics of the ground substrate and its impact on vegetation ecology is of great significance for further understanding the structure and surface process laws of the Earth's critical zone, and supporting the restoration of the national territorial space ecological environment. Taking the ground substrate of Ningbo hill area as the research object, this paper analyzes the spatial heterogeneity of three typical surface matrices, namely granite, rhyolite and basalt, from the perspective of the spatial structure and elemental characteristics of the ground substrate by adopting the methods of sectional research and sample testing. It was found that the granite group is characterized by coarse soil and high permeability, the rhyolite group is characterized by coarser soil and good shallow−surface permeability, and the basalt group is characterized by fine soil and poor aeration. In addition, the main trace elements of granite type are deficient, rhyolite type is rich in Mo and Zn, basalt type is rich in Fe, Mg, Co, Cu and Zn, and the CIA value of basalt is significantly higher than that of granite and rhyolite. The results showed that the spatial heterogeneity of the ground substrate in the hilly area was mainly influenced by the structure and elemental composition of the bedrock, and had obvious ecological effects on the growth of vegetation. The spatial structure of the ground substrate mainly affects the distribution and transportation of water, and the elemental characteristics affect the distribution of nutrients, and the resulting differences in the spatial distribution and abundance of water and nutrients have a direct impact on the growth of vegetation.