Root system is the most important bridge connecting the above-ground and underground ecosystems, and plays an im portant role in the energy flow and material circulation of ecosystems. Heterogeneous environment caused by intense water-salt exchange in coastal wetlands is one of the most important factors affecting the structure and function of plant roots. This paper reviewed the re search progress of water and salt stress on wetland plant root system in the past few years, previous studies focused on the response mechanism of plant roots under constant stress simulation, however, the heterogeneous habitat characteristics in nature was ignored. The research on plant adaptation to habitat heterogeneity is mostly focused on the acquisition of resources by roots, but the research on root response mechanism in heterogeneous stress habitats is still scarce. The coastal wetlands in the Yellow River Delta have the characteris tics of river-sea interaction, land-sea transition and newly-formed. It is natural ideal experimental site for studying the root response mechanism under the condition of habitat heterogeneity. However, there are few studies on plant roots in the coastal wetlands of the Yellow River Delta. Based on the research progress of plant root of coastal wetlands in the world, three aspects of future research on root ecology of coastal wetlands in the Yellow River Delta were suggested: 1) Effects of time heterogeneity of water and salt on vegetation of coastal wetlands; 2) the relationship of clonal integration of root system and community and ecosystem under heterogeneous habitat; 3) root response of wetland clonal plants to climate changes.