Book Description

Aquatic plants refer to a diverse group of aquatic photosynthetic organisms large enough to be seem with the naked eye, and the vegetative parts of which actively grow either permanently or periodically (for at least several weeks each year) submerged below, floating on, or growing up through the water surface. These include aquatic vascular plants, aquatic mosses and some larger algae. Aquatic plants are grouped into life forms, each of which relates differently to limiting factors and has distinct ecological functions in aquatic ecosystems. Life form groups include emergent macrophytes (plants that are rooted in sediment or soils that are periodically inundated, with all other structures extending into the air), floating-leaved macrophytes (rooted plants with leaves that float on the water surface), submersed macrophytes (rooted plants growing completely submerged), free submerged macrophytes (which are not rooted but attached to other macrophytes or submerged structures) and free-floating macrophytes (plants that float on the water surface). Aquatic plants play an important role in the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems by altering water movement regimes, providing shelter and refuge and serving as a food source. In addition, aquatic plants produce large standing crops which can also stabilize sediments, accumulate large amounts of nutrients thus improving water healthy. Thus, because of their ecological role, aquatic plants are an important component of aquatic ecosystems. Aquatic plants are very vulnerable to human activities and global changes, and many species of the plants had become endangered in the past several decades due to habitat loss, flooding, damming, over foraging, biological invasion and eutrophication, which might not be halted but enforced in the future when more extreme weathers coincide with enhanced human activities.