The cryosphere is one of the five spheres in the climate systems. Effects of changing cryosphere on the various ecosystems both within the cryosphere and the ones closely associated with cryosphere has become a hot research topic of global change， and the concept of “cryospheric ecosystems” have been widely used these years. Based on the existing results on the interaction between the cryosphere and the biosphere， this review systematically described the composition of the cryosphere ecosystem and the relationship between the elements of the cryosphere and the biomes. The composition of the cryospheric ecosystem frame was also outlined. From the perspective of ecosystem， the main research topics of the cryospheric ecosystem mainly include the characteristics of cryospheric habitats and the impacts of habitat changes. In the cryospheric habitats， ecosystems include endophytic ecosystems of cryosphere and cryosphere-related ecosystems. According to whether the biological communities inhabit the cryosphere elements directly， ecosystems can be classified as endophytic ecosystems of the cryosphere， which are primarily microorganism-dominated， and cryosphere-related ecosystems. The endophytic cryospheric ecosystems mainly include glaciers （ice sheets）， snow， frozen ground， sea ice， and other endophytic ecosystems， with microbial communities mainly inhabiting the ice and snow. The endophytic ecosystems of glaciers can be further divided into three types， i.e.， the supraglacial， englacial， and subglacial ecosystem. Similarly， the endophytic ecosystems of snow and sea ice consist of surface， interior， and bottom ecosystems， while the biological communities of the endophytic ecosystems of permafrost mainly refer the microbes within the active layer and the permafrost. In addition to the endophytic ecosystems of the cryosphere with the biological communities mainly are dominated by the microorganisms， the biological communities of the cryosphere-related ecosystems are diverse. Frozen soil is closely related to vegetation. The hydrothermal process and carbon-nitrogen cycle in the active layer of permafrost directly affect vegetation. Freeze-thaw cycles can directly cause root cell damage and reduce nutrient absorption due to root damage. Freeze-thaw process can affect nutrient retention and increase soil moisture during the growing season. Vegetation changes will affect herbivores. In addition， many organisms such as insects， mammals and birds also live in permafrost regions， and these species may also be affected by the permafrost degradation. Sea ice is the bridge connecting land and marine ecosystems. In addition to endogenous ecosystems in sea ice， sea ice affects both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The impact of sea ice on terrestrial biological communities is mainly through sea ice benthic organisms and sea ice bridges， providing food， predation sites， and habitats for terrestrial animals. Sea ice benthic rich plankton is the food source for penguins， sea ice provides seabirds with access to food resources. Globally， cryosphere elements provide a habitat for various cold-adapted， cold-tolerant， or psychrophilic organisms on a wide range of scales. Many plants and animals use glaciers， ice caps， snow， frozen ground， sea ice， and other cryosphere elements as their habitats for living and survival. Changes in the elements of the cryosphere will affect the physical environment， energy and nutrient transport， and biogeochemical processes of the biome， thereby affecting the stability of the ecosystem. Overall， the cryosphere ecosystems are special ecosystems. Under the impacts of persistent global warming， the cryosphere is undergoing rapid changes， and resulting in changes of cryosphere habitats， which further affect the biological communities within the cryosphere and closely related to the cryosphere at different temporal and spatial scales. Therefore， understanding the cryosphere ecosystem systematically and clarifying research concepts are the scientific basis for properly study the impacts of changes in the cryosphere on biology. Current researches on cryosphere ecosystems mainly focus on the responses of different species， such as terrestrial plants and animals， freshwater organisms， marine organisms， coastal animals， and avian animals， to cryosphere changes. In the future， the impact of cryosphere changes on biomes should be quantitatively analyzed， and the time and spatial scale of the impacts of changes in various elements of the cryosphere on biomes should be considered.