Abstract: Taking the Palaeozoic carbonate fractured-vuggy reservoir in Tarim basin as an example and with the forward modeling of elastic-wave wave equation, seismic response characteristics of every type of carbonate reservoirs based on the influence factors on development of the reservoirs relevant with reef-shoal, weathering crust and fault are discussed. It is concluded that the seismic reflection of the reef-shoal reservoir is characterized by mound-shaped and sheet-like reflections on palaeo-geomorphologic structural highs, weak reflection, chaotic reflection and strong bead-like reflections, etc.; while the weathering crust karst reservoir is characterized by sheet-like seismic reflection in the top boundary, sheet-like seismic reflection along horizons, weak-strong bead-like reflection and weak reflection; and the fault-related karst reservoir is dominated by longitudinal long bead-like and multiple bead-like reflections, complexes of sheet-like, bead-like and chaotic reflections, and bead-like reflection at the intersections of faults, etc. Analysis on seismic response characteristics of carbonate reservoirs from the view of reservoir controlling factors is a feasible method, which could provide references for reservoir prediction method selection, exploration potential analysis and target optimization