By analyzing the spatial heterogeneity of soil physical-chemical properties

including soil particle sizes

soil moistures

soil salt-contents

pH and soil nutrients for 70 samples from 16 quadrants of the wetlands and surrounding lands in the middle and lower reaches of Tarim River

this paper shows that the soil textures of most samples are the sandy loams or silty loams and few samples are loamy sand soils or loamy silt soils.The compositions of the soil particle sizes for different land-uses and vegetations have some differences.The special distributions of the soil moistures present the aridization of the wetlands in the middle and lower reaches of Tarim River.The solonchak

salinized and alkalized soils with an extensive area represent a significant stress to the plant growth and development.That the levels of the organic matter

total N and P are generally poor indicate the characteristics of the wetlands in the arid area.