Abstract: Hydrological connectivity in lakes plays an important role in water regulation, water purification and biodiversity conservation; However, meanwhile it may also induce negative effects and potential risks, such as an increased flood pressure, deteriorated of water quality and invasion of alien species. Therefore, to clarify the impacts of hydrological connectivity on ecological environment of lakes is of great significance for lake connectivity restoration. This paper first introduced the definitions and connotations of hydrological connectivity, and reviewed the effects of hydrological connectivity on hydrology and hydrodynamics, water quality and aquatic ecosystems. Then the probable paths of hydrological connectivity influencing on aquatic ecosystems were concluded that, alterations in hydrological connectivity initially induced the changes in hydrology and hydrodynamics, and subsequently acted on kinds of aquatic organisms. On the one hand, the varied hydrology and hydrodynamics directly changed the habitat area and landscapes which were related to the migration and reproduction of biological communities. On the other hand, the varied hydrology and hydrodynamics indirectly influenced not only the growth and development of certain biological community but the accumulation and transformation of pollutants in organisms by changing the water quality and sediment characteristics. In addition, the variation of certain biological community would deliver these effects to other organisms through food chains or food webs, resulting in obvious changes in the whole ecosystem. Finally the urgent problems and future studies on the issues of hydrological connectivity were summarized , including 1）enhancing related researches on the vertical connectivity, and on the transformation of lateral, longitudinal and vertical connectivity; 2）establishing a coupled model of hydrodynamics, water quality and aquatic ecosystem based on their interactive mechanism to reveal the eco-environmental effects of hydrological connectivity on lakes; 3) conducting researches on eco-environmental risks of hydrological connectivity, and further identifying the appropriate hydrological connectivity by balancing the eco-environmental and social-economic benefits, to provide scientific suggestions for policy makers.