Question

A note on adaptation in water plants.​

Answer 1

$\Large{\underline{\underline{\mathrm{\purple{Adaptation\:In\:Water\:Plants}}}}}$

A number of plants grow in water, too. These are called aquatic plants. There are three kinds of aquatic plants - those which float on water, those which are fixed, and those which live under water.

• $\large{\mathrm{\red{Floating\:plants}}}$ are light. They have swollen or spongy bodies. Water hyacinth and duckweed are two such plants.

• $\large{\mathrm{\red{Fixed\:plants}}}$ such as lotus and water lily have roots that fix them to the bed of the pond. They have a long hollow stem which are very light. They have broad leaves that float on the surface of water. The stomata are on the upper side of the leaves.

• $\large{\mathrm{\red{Underwater\:plants}}}$ have narrow leaves with no stomata. They breathe through their body surface. Pond weed and tape grass are examples of such plants.

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Answer 2

$\Large{\underline{\underline{\mathrm{\purple{Adaptation\:In\:Water\:Plants}}}}}$

Aquatic plants require special adaptations for living submerged in water, or at the water's surface. The most common adaptation is the presence of lightweight internal packing cells, aerenchyma, but floating leaves and finely dissected leaves are also common.

$\large{\mathrm{\red{Additional\:shots}}}$

Plants found in desserts are well adapted to cope with water scarcity and scorching heat of the desert. Some of these adaptations are as follows:

1. Plants have an extensive root system to tap underground water.

2. They bear thick cuticles and sunken stomata on the surface of their leaves to reduce transpiration.

3. In Opuntia, the leaves are modified into spines and the process of photosynthesis is carried out by green stems.

4. Desert plants have special pathways to synthesize food, called CAM (C4 pathway). It enables their stomata to remain closed during the day to reduce water loss by transpiration.

$\large{\mathrm{\red{Floating\:plants}}}$ These plants float freely on the water surface. The entire plant is suspended on the water, allowing the plant to be moved around the pond by wind and water currents. Plants such as duckweed, mosquito fern, waterhyacinth, and watermeal are free floating.

$\large{\mathrm{\red{Fixed\:plants}}}$ Some plants like "water-lily"and "lotus" have roots that fix the plants in the mud at the bottom of the pond. They are known as fixed aquatic plants. Roots of such plants are fixed in the soil at the bottom of a pond. They have plate-like leaves that float over the surface of water.

$\large{\mathrm{\red{Underwater\:plants}}}$ Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments. They are also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes to distinguish them from algae and other microphytes. A macrophyte is a plant that grows in or near water and is either emergent, submergent, or floating.

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