The vegetation and soil in the riparian zone are the key elements of the ecosystem, which greatly contribute to maintaining the ecological health, systematical service and sustainability of the riparian zone. The hydrological change is the main influence factor to the riparian ecosystem. This paper summarized the impacts of hydrological changes on the morphology, reproduction, community distribution, survival strategies of riparian vegetation, by describing the mechanism of soil nitrogen and phosphorus transfer cycles and enrichment migration and transformation under the hydrological effect. At present, the research of hydrological changes on riparian wetland plants is mainly based on the above-ground parts of plants such as plants morphology, physiology and ecology, community distribution and succession, however, the research on the morphological, structural, and functional characteristics of the root system is relatively weak. While the root system plays an essential role in the transmission of the material, energy and signal between the soil and above-ground part of the plant, the related research is still insufficient. It is vital to increase the research on the influence mechanism of hydrological changes to the morphological, structural and functional characteristics of riparian wetland plant roots, as well as the adaptive mechanism and tolerance threshold of wetland plants to the hydrological changes. Besides, the study of the mechanism of hydrological changes on the transfer and transformation of soil nitrogen and phosphorus in microscopic aspect should also be strengthened. The influence and the control methods of soil adsorption, plant absorption, and denitrification on the process of nitrogen interception and transformation under the unique hydrological environment of the riparian zone should also be clarified; it is necessary to study in depth and simulation the law of migration cycle.of the form and quantity of phosphorus in different media of riparian plants, soil and water. River morphology and the diversity of soil determines the complexity of the hydrological characteristics of the riparian zone. In the future, it is necessary to focus on the study of the relationship between the individual characteristics of the riparian zone and the hydrological response. The riparian zone is the water-land ecological transition zone in horizontal view and the ecological corridor between the upstream and downstream of the river in vertical view. Thus, it is necessary to take the relationship between watershed soil, substitution, topography, hydrology, and human activities into consideration and simulation; predict the changing pattern of the riparian ecosystem in the future climate and socio-economic scenarios to provide the theoretical basis and technical support for the ecological adjustment, biological protection and ecological restoration of the riparian ecosystem.