Aquatic Plants Adaptations

Explore Aquatic Plants Facts - Types of aquatic plants and their adaptive features.

Aquatic plants are simply plants that live in or around water such as ponds, rivers and other water bodies. These plants have lots of adaptations to survive in water. They are also known as HYDROPHYTES or MACROPHYTES.

Aquatic Plants are Mainly of THREE Types

1. Floating Aquatic Plants

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Water Lettuce

The plant floats on water freely is called floating aquatic plant. These plants are not attached to the surface.

They float freely on the water because they have air-filled cavities in leaves and stems. These cavities make them lighter and help them to float freely. Examples are Water Lettuce, Water Hyacinth, Duckweed etc

2. Fixed Aquatic Plants

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Water Lily

Lotus and Water Lily are examples of fixed aquatic plants. Their roots are attached to the bottom of the pond.

They have broad and flat leaves, which help them to float easily on the water surface as well as to get enough sunlight and air for photosynthesis. Chloroplasts are present only on the top surface of the leaves that are exposed to the sun. 

Chloroplasts contain the pigments that absorb sunlight for photosynthesis, a process that plants use to make food. Its stem is like a hollow pipe, which helps them to blend easily with the flow of water.

3. Underwater Aquatic Plants

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Hydrilla Plants

These plants grow entirely underwater, such as Hydrilla and Tape Grass. They have a very flexible stem.

These plants increase the level of oxygen in the water and reduce the level of carbon dioxide. So these plants make the water suitable for other aquatic animals and help in getting enough oxygen.

Hope you enjoyed aquatic plants facts and their adaptive features. You can visit here to learn more aquatic plants facts.

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