Abstract: The ecosystem was divided into 7 types in the Liaohe rive basin of Liaoning province. The temporal and spatial changes of the ecosystem structure were analyzed on three scales, i.e. the whole basin, 15 watersheds and riparian zone. Combining an ecosystem services evaluation method, the ecosystem services and its variation were evaluated on three scales. The results show that farmland and forest ecosystems are dominant in the whole basin. There is a significant difference for the ecosystems structure and its temporal and spatial variations among 15 watersheds. The structures of ecosystem between riparian zone and the whole basin differ significantly. Compared with the ecosystem structure in the whole basin, the proportion of forest ecosystem in the riparian zone reduces distinctly, while that of water and wetland ecosystem increases significantly. The ecosystem service value in the whole basin decreases gradually. Among all ecosystem types, the service value of forest ecosystem is the highest both in the whole basin and in the watersheds. However, the ecosystem service value of water and wetland is the highest in the riparian zone.

Key words: The Liaohe river basin, Ecosystem structure, Spatial and temporal pattern, Ecosystem services evaluation