The Benefits of Aquatic Vegetation
Water plants are plants that grow in water‚ or in a wet environment‚ such as lakes‚ rivers‚ ponds‚ and wetlands․ Plants that involve living in or near a body of water are critical to the construction of a healthy ecosystem of living things․ Ponds and lakes can support floating plants such as duckweed‚ submerged plants such as eelgrass‚ and emergent plants such as cattails․ Such planting and maintenance can not only be aesthetically desirable‚ but also has numerous environmental benefits including improved water quality‚ habitat creation for wildlife‚ intrusive plant species and animal control‚ reduced algal growth and biodiversity promotion․
One of the most important services of the aquatic vegetation is the improvement of water quality․ Water plants are used in the process of phytoremediation‚ where toxic chemicals‚ such as heavy metals and nutrients‚ are absorbed by the plants and thus removed from the water column‚ decreasing water pollution․ Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus can negatively impact water quality and can be harmful to both wildlife and human populations‚ and water plants are often used to absorb nitrogen and phosphorus produced from agricultural runoff․ Root structures of plants hold sediments together‚ reducing turbidity and allowing clearer water to improve habitat quality․ The result is increased light penetration and plant growth that can establish a self-sufficient food web and a suitable habitat for other aquatic life․
Water Plants Provide Habitats
Water plants are important habitats for birds‚ fish‚ amphibians‚ and insects‚ providing foraging habitat‚ sites for marine species‚ as well as crevices and other structural features used by many animal species․ For example‚ dense plant cover under the water may provide shelter for juvenile fish and invertebrates from predators‚ while floating vegetation can provide resting sites for birds and sunny‚ basking sites for reptiles․ Emergent plants can be breeding areas for frogs and other amphibians․ Each layer of vegetation can support a different biota and thus contribute to biodiversity in a water plant habitat․ As the water plant grows‚ it is also able to provide habitat and food sources for a variety of organisms‚ thus fully becoming a part of the food web․
Invasive species are commonly found in these waterways‚ sometimes pushing out indigenous species․ However‚ water plants can also be used for the biological control of intrusive species․ Another example is the introduction of native aquatic plants․ Native plant species will fill in such niches‚ naturally decreasing the number of intrusive species‚ thus‚ providing less competition for the native plant species․ Once established‚ the native plants will in turn provide better habitat for native fauna․ With these elements‚ ecosystems are able not only to become more resilient‚ but also to restore the natural balance of their ecosystem․
How Water Plants Reduce Algae
Water plants also help reduce algae blooms‚ which are a very common and a severe problem in any water body․ It occurs when there are high concentrations of nitrogen or phosphorus in the water to provide ideal conditions for algal blooms‚ which can lead to the depletion of oxygen and other aquatic animals․ Water plants can also contribute to nutrient cycling‚ since they may metabolize many of the nutrients before they become available for algae‚ and can shade the water from sunlight․ When controlled within appropriate limits‚ water plants can help to maintain the health of the aquatic system by keeping the flowering outbreaks in check․
Promoting biodiversity is perhaps one of the most important roles the conservation and promotion of water plants can play․ Biodiversity is an important ecosystem service and contributes to ecosystem resilience to both natural and anthropogenic disturbance․ In addition to providing habitat for many other groups of animals‚ water plants also have an effect on bacteria and other microbes that recycle nutrients in water bodies․ Water plants are a vital component in the survival of individual species and the maintenance of whole ecosystem's productivity․ Biodiversity can bring benefits‚ in the forms of cleaner water‚ the health of ecosystems‚ and higher capabilities for ecosystems to provide for human requirements like recreation‚ conservation and provisioning․
The benefits of water plants in the water are many‚ and may include water purification‚ wildlife habitat‚ intrusive weed control‚ algae bloom management‚ and increased biodiversity․ This resource also conserves the aquatic ecosystem‚ which is essential to the health of the living systems and human communities that sustain and are sustained by the ecosystems of submerged‚ floating‚ and emergent vegetation‚ for food‚ fuel‚ fiber‚ and many other benefits․ Maintaining and restoring the health of the water plants will become an important issue as climate change‚ habitat destruction‚ and their negative effects increase at the local‚ regional‚ and global scale․ Therefore‚ people should be encouraged to advocate for the protection of our water plants to preserve aquatic environments for generations to come․
