Abstract: While shipping plays an increasingly vital role in global transportation systems (the national plan also prioritizes developing the national high-grade waterway network structured as “four vertical corridors,four horizontal corridors and two auxiliary networks”),the ecological impacts of shipping stress on primary river producers remain poorly understood.This study systematically examines the ecological chain of shipping disturbances,analyzing the direct and indirect pathways through which pulsatile hydrodynamic stress from vessel operations,habitat restructuring by waterway engineering,and vertical connectivity disruption by port structures affect algal communities.First,shipping causes physical damage to algae through turbulent shear and ship wave breakup.Second,sediment resuspension and endogenous nutrient release reshape elemental cycles.Finally,transboundary water diversion and the “biopump” effect of ship locks break geographical barriers,facilitating exogenous algal colonization.However,these effects are dynamic,with recovery time windows,seasonal rhythms,and human activities serving as key regulatory factors.The findings provide theoretical foundations for establishing ecological risk early-warning systems in shipping-intensive rivers.