Abstract: In order to make clear the present situation of wetland species resources along the Yangtze River in Changshu and to provide references for wetland protection, an investigation was conducted at habitat and regional scales to obtain the information about the wetland plant and animal species composition, distribution characteristics, and biomass in the observation areas. The correlations between the wetland species and between the plankton and water quality were also analyzed. In the observation areas, Phragmites australis,Zizania latifolia, and Scirpus planiculmis were the dominant plant species, whereas Melosira italica and Microcystis aeruginosa were the dominant phytoplankton species. The diversity of plankton and zoobenthos was lower, while the fishery resources were relatively abundant. There were significant correlations between the wetland plant, plankton and zoobenthos, but no significant correlation was observed between plankton and water quality during the flood season of the Yangtze River. Due to the gradual reduction of the wetland area and of the biological resources, it would become important to restore the wetland area, set up dynamic monitoring system, and build scientific development model to protect the wetland along the Yangtze River.

Key words: Whitmania laevis, Population size, Chemical factors of water