The Yangtze River constitutes a crucial aquatic system in China, and lakes downstream play a significant role in the stability of ecosystem functions. However, human activities have caused the lakes to suffer from eutrophication. Moreover, it is important to investigate the aquatic ecosystems of Qingting Lake, Fengming Lake, and Yin Lake in Wuhu City, Anhui Province, China, for tracing and controlling eutrophication. We focused on the differences in aquatic communities and their relationships with environmental variables. A total of 61 species of zooplankton, 69 species of phytoplankton, and 15 species of benthos were detected in the three lakes. Dragonfly Lake had the highest number of zooplankton and phytoplankton species； the number of phytoplankton species was 17.65% and 22.06%, significantly higher than those of Fengming Lake and Silver Lake, respectively （