Abstract: Soil freezing-thawing refers to the repeated freezing and thawing process due to the change of soil temperature,which is a common natural phenomenon in seasonal frozen soil areas and permafrost regions.Freezing-thawing affects not only soil physical and chemical properties and biogeochemical cycles,but also the physiological and ecological processes of plants due to habitat stress or indirect soil environment change,which may impact the productivity of vegetation in freezing-thawing soils.In this paper,we mainly reviewed the direct and indirect effects of soil freezing-thawing on plant eco-physiological characteristics,and summarized the aspects of plant phenology,photosynthesis,cell membrane,osmotic regulating substances,productivity,community composition,and root growth under different climatic conditions.Moreover,we analyzed the current problems of soil freezing-thawing on plant eco-physiological characteristics.Finally,we proposed that future research should focus on strengthening the long-term field experiments in understanding the responses of plant eco-physiological characteristics to freezing-thawing processes and its mechanism at molecular level.