The relationship between plant functional groups and habitats is an important topic of the research of ecology. It can reveal the mechanism of plant environmental adaption, community construction, and can predict the changes of vegetation. In order to study adaption of the functional groups to different habitats in the arid area such as wetland, desert and gobi on a local scale, the composition and functional traits of functional groups in different habitats of desert areas were studied in Jiayuguan Caohu National Wetland Park based on the data of plant functional traits. The results showed that, with the change of habitat conditions, the soil water moisture, salt content, bulk density, pH value and other soil properties changed significantly. The composition of plant functional groups and functional traits changed adaptively. The functional traits of vegetation in the marsh wetland were mainly clonal plant, C₄ photosynthetic pathway, and rhizomatous plant. The salt marsh wetland were mainly wax-coating, leaf or stem succulence, and CS strategy type. Dune habitats were with hairiness, thickened or long roots, annual, and CR strategy type, while Gobi with reduced leaves, thickened or long roots, entomophilous, and chamaephyte. On the local scale, habitat heterogeneity, especially soil heterogeneity, is an important environmental factor affecting the composition of plant communities and the changes of plant functional traits.