Underwater plants provide oxygen, food, and shelter. They are important for a healthy underwater ecosystem. Aquatic plants provide habitat for snails, crayfish, and aquatic insects. They provide shelter for smaller pan fish and a hunting area for predator fish like bass. The same way trees release oxygen into the air aquatic plants release oxygen into the water. Aquatic plants protect shorelines from erosion due to wave action or currents. They stabilize sediment which can increase water clarity.

There are 4 types of aquatic plants. A description of each can be seen below.