To explore the adaptability of the invasive aquatic plant Pistia stratiotes L. to climate and habitat in different regions， and to provide a theoretical basis for controlling and preventing its further spread. MAXENT was employed to predict the potential suitable habitat of P. stratiotes in China. Cold tolerance， light adaptability， and nutrient deficiency experiments were conducted on P. stratiotes populations from Hainan， Hunan， and Jiangsu to evaluate their physiological and ecological responses under various climatic and habitat conditions. The minimum temperature of the coldest month is the primary climatic factor influencing the distribution of P. stratiotes. Cold-tolerance experiments demonstrated that， following continuous exposure to 5.0 °C for 48 h， the samples from Hainan exhibited significant frostbite symptoms and could not resume growth under normal temperature， whereas samples from Jiangsu recovered. Peroxidase activity assays indicated that P. stratiotes from Jiangsu responded more rapidly to low-temperature stress by increasing peroxidase activity. After one month of shading， P. stratiotes from all three regions showed reduced growth rate， lower chlorophyll content， and heightened antioxidant enzyme activity， with no significant differences among the areas， indicating that P. stratiotes prefers light and is sensitive to shading. Nutrient deficiency experiments revealed that nitrogen and phosphorus deprivation significantly suppressed fresh weight， leaf number， width， and ramet production. However， there were no significant differences in growth inhibition between nitrogen and phosphorus deficiency. Temperature， light， nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient are the primary factors affecting plant growth and distribution.Among them，temperature plays a particularly crucial role in the invasion， spread， and reproduction of P. stratiotes. Notably， populations in northern regions showed significantly stronger cold tolerance than those in the southern areas， suggesting that P. stratiotes has broadened its ecological niche during its invasion in China and developed an adaptation to low temperatures. Without proper preventive measures， P. stratiotes may continue to expand into more northern areas in China.