​Benefits of Aquatic Vegetation

Aquatic vegetation has an important role in freshwater habitats including:
  • Providing Oxygen
    •   Just like trees and other terrestial plants, aquatic plants photosynthesize and procuce oxygen which is released into the water to be uptaken by fish and other aquatic life 
  •  Providing Food
    • As primary producers, aquatic plants are the start of the food chain in lakes. Without them as an available food source, lakes would not be able to support any other life
  • Providing Shelter
    • Small fish species, crawfish, and snails take shelter in aquatic plants to hide from their predators
  • Limiting Shore Erosion
    • Roots of the aquatic plants stabilizes the banks of lakes and helps limit the effect for erosion from waves by slowing down the waves before they hit the shore. The remoal of aquatic vegetation and the subsequent shoreline erosion damages wildlife habitats, muddies the water, and causes issues for lakefront property owners
  • Reducing Pollution
    • Aquatic vegetation helps with pollution by absorbing and breaking down nutrients and other chemicals polluting the water which improves the quality of the lake water 

Invasive Species

Invasive aquatic plants are species of non-native plants in an ecosystem. The presence of invasives can be harmful to the native plants life. Once establish, removing the invasives can be very difficult and nearly impossible to eradicate. Identification and reporting of invasive species is necessary to prevent long-term damage to ecosystems.

Some Common Plants at Lacawac

Emergent Plants- rooted in the soil under the water but grows to have leaves and flowers above water
Pickerelweed (Ponderia cordata)- ​Upward facing arrow shapes leaves, purple flowers
Floating Plants- leaves that float on the surface of the water, may or may not be rooted
Watersheild (Brasenia schreberi)- small, oval shaped leaves, hydrophobic gel coats underside of leaf and stem
Submerged Plants- whole plants remain underwater
Coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum)- whorled leaves, resembles the tail of a raccoon

To learn more about aquatic plants, check out this workshop created by Dr. Elizabeth Carroll of Holy Family University 

Sources

Aquatic plants. Clean Lake Alliance. (2022, January 24).  https://www.cleanlakesalliance.org/aquatic-plants/
Aquatic Vegetation: The Key to A Healthy Lake. Shiawassee Conservation District. (2021, June 24). https://shiawasseeccd.org/aquatic-vegetation-the-key-to-a-healthy-lakeshiawasseeccd.org/aquatic-vegetation-the-key-to-a-healthy-lake//
Pennsylvania's Field Guide to Aquatic Species. Pennsylvania State University. (n.d.). http://seagrant.psu.edu/sites/defeault/files/AIS%20Field%20Guide_1.pdf
Senzeal. The Effect of Aquatic Plants on Water Quality. https://www.senzeal.com/blog/the-effect-of-aquatic-plats-on-water-quality-b0433.html
Value of aquaitc plants. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/shorelandmgmt/apg/value.html