diff --git a/python-package/lightgbm/basic.py b/python-package/lightgbm/basic.py
index 9dbf443a79cc..f52776f320ca 100644
--- a/python-package/lightgbm/basic.py
+++ b/python-package/lightgbm/basic.py
@@ -238,6 +238,9 @@ class _ConfigAliases:
                                     "sparse"},
                "label_column": {"label_column",
                                 "label"},
+               "local_listen_port": {"local_listen_port",
+                                     "local_port",
+                                     "port"},
                "machines": {"machines",
                             "workers",
                             "nodes"},
@@ -255,12 +258,21 @@ class _ConfigAliases:
                                   "num_rounds",
                                   "num_boost_round",
                                   "n_estimators"},
+               "num_threads": {"num_threads",
+                               "num_thread",
+                               "nthread",
+                               "nthreads",
+                               "n_jobs"},
                "objective": {"objective",
                              "objective_type",
                              "app",
                              "application"},
                "pre_partition": {"pre_partition",
                                  "is_pre_partition"},
+               "tree_learner": {"tree_learner",
+                                "tree",
+                                "tree_type",
+                                "tree_learner_type"},
                "two_round": {"two_round",
                              "two_round_loading",
                              "use_two_round_loading"},
diff --git a/python-package/lightgbm/dask.py b/python-package/lightgbm/dask.py
index 0e40e4534339..ba84edca87c2 100644
--- a/python-package/lightgbm/dask.py
+++ b/python-package/lightgbm/dask.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 import logging
 import socket
 from collections import defaultdict
+from copy import deepcopy
 from typing import Dict, Iterable
 from urllib.parse import urlparse
 
@@ -19,7 +20,7 @@
 from dask import delayed
 from dask.distributed import Client, default_client, get_worker, wait
 
-from .basic import _LIB, _safe_call
+from .basic import _ConfigAliases, _LIB, _safe_call
 from .sklearn import LGBMClassifier, LGBMRegressor
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -170,6 +171,8 @@ def _train(client, data, label, params, model_factory, weight=None, **kwargs):
     sample_weight : array-like of shape = [n_samples] or None, optional (default=None)
             Weights of training data.
     """
+    params = deepcopy(params)
+
     # Split arrays/dataframes into parts. Arrange parts into tuples to enforce co-locality
     data_parts = _split_to_parts(data, is_matrix=True)
     label_parts = _split_to_parts(label, is_matrix=False)
@@ -197,21 +200,47 @@ def _train(client, data, label, params, model_factory, weight=None, **kwargs):
     master_worker = next(iter(worker_map))
     worker_ncores = client.ncores()
 
-    if 'tree_learner' not in params or params['tree_learner'].lower() not in {'data', 'feature', 'voting'}:
-        logger.warning('Parameter tree_learner not set or set to incorrect value '
-                       '(%s), using "data" as default', params.get("tree_learner", None))
+    tree_learner = None
+    for tree_learner_param in _ConfigAliases.get('tree_learner'):
+        tree_learner = params.get(tree_learner_param)
+        if tree_learner is not None:
+            break
+
+    allowed_tree_learners = {
+        'data',
+        'data_parallel',
+        'feature',
+        'feature_parallel',
+        'voting',
+        'voting_parallel'
+    }
+    if tree_learner is None:
+        logger.warning('Parameter tree_learner not set. Using "data" as default')
         params['tree_learner'] = 'data'
+    elif tree_learner.lower() not in allowed_tree_learners:
+        logger.warning('Parameter tree_learner set to %s, which is not allowed. Using "data" as default' % tree_learner)
+        params['tree_learner'] = 'data'
+
+    local_listen_port = 12400
+    for port_param in _ConfigAliases.get('local_listen_port'):
+        val = params.get(port_param)
+        if val is not None:
+            local_listen_port = val
+            break
 
     # find an open port on each worker. note that multiple workers can run
     # on the same machine, so this needs to ensure that each one gets its
     # own port
-    local_listen_port = params.get('local_listen_port', 12400)
     worker_address_to_port = _find_ports_for_workers(
         client=client,
         worker_addresses=worker_map.keys(),
         local_listen_port=local_listen_port
     )
 
+    # num_threads is set below, so remove it and all aliases of it from params
+    for num_thread_alias in _ConfigAliases.get('num_threads'):
+        params.pop(num_thread_alias, None)
+
     # Tell each worker to train on the parts that it has locally
     futures_classifiers = [client.submit(_train_part,
                                          model_factory=model_factory,
diff --git a/tests/python_package_test/test_dask.py b/tests/python_package_test/test_dask.py
index 1a454f6c6c87..e793872ee4fb 100644
--- a/tests/python_package_test/test_dask.py
+++ b/tests/python_package_test/test_dask.py
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ def test_classifier_local_predict(client, listen_port):
 
     dask_classifier = dlgbm.DaskLGBMClassifier(
         time_out=5,
-        local_listen_port=listen_port,
+        local_port=listen_port,
         n_estimators=10,
         num_leaves=10
     )
@@ -148,7 +148,8 @@ def test_regressor(output, client, listen_port):
         time_out=5,
         local_listen_port=listen_port,
         seed=42,
-        num_leaves=10
+        num_leaves=10,
+        tree='data'
     )
     dask_regressor = dask_regressor.fit(dX, dy, client=client, sample_weight=dw)
     p1 = dask_regressor.predict(dX)
@@ -181,7 +182,8 @@ def test_regressor_quantile(output, client, listen_port, alpha):
         objective='quantile',
         alpha=alpha,
         n_estimators=10,
-        num_leaves=10
+        num_leaves=10,
+        tree_learner_type='data_parallel'
     )
     dask_regressor = dask_regressor.fit(dX, dy, client=client, sample_weight=dw)
     p1 = dask_regressor.predict(dX).compute()
@@ -210,7 +212,8 @@ def test_regressor_local_predict(client, listen_port):
         local_listen_port=listen_port,
         seed=42,
         n_estimators=10,
-        num_leaves=10
+        num_leaves=10,
+        tree_type='data'
     )
     dask_regressor = dask_regressor.fit(dX, dy, sample_weight=dw, client=client)
     p1 = dask_regressor.predict(dX)