Road traffic, while providing convenience to human life, profoundly impacts the surrounding ecological environment and its service functions. The negative environmental effects of roads are manifested in vehicle-generated noise, chemical pollution, light pollution, and ecological disruption. Previously, ecologists have primarily studied road impacts regarding animal habitats, while relatively few studies have investigated the effects of road disturbances on plants. The influence of roads on seed dispersal remains inconclusive, and the subsequent cascading effects on seedling regeneration are not well understood. Therefore, this study reviewed studies from the past three decades, both domestically and internationally, concerning the effects of road disturbances on plant seed dispersal and seedling regeneration. The objective was to clarify the impact of roads on plant-animal interactions and vegetation regeneration.The findings indicate that roads significantly interfered with animal-mediated seed dispersal. This interference mainly occurred through direct reductions in animal population sizes, road-induced barrier effects, and indirect impacts on animal behavior and seed dispersal distances. Additionally, physical and chemical disturbances caused by roads, combined with predator influences, notably weakened seedling regeneration and subsequent plant growth patterns. These disturbances may have triggered cascading effects within the ecosystem.Looking forward, future research methods should prioritize examining the long-term impacts of road disturbances on ecosystems, emphasizing extended and more in-depth monitoring and observation. In terms of research content, the scope should be broadened to better understand the connections between road edges and ecosystems situated farther from roads. This approach would facilitate a more comprehensive exploration of how road disturbances influence the spatial structure of plant communities within larger-scale ecosystems.This study advances the understanding of how road disturbances impact plant seed dispersal and seedling regeneration, offering scientific insights and theoretical support for road construction within ecosystems under the context of global climate change.