The Value of Water Plants
Oxygen production. Most of the dissolved oxygen in ponds and lakes is supplied by water plants, especially algae. Oxygen is a by-product of photosynthesis, which takes place in plant cells.
Fish food. Water plants are the foundation of the aquatic food web. Free-floating, microscopic algae are eaten by a myriad of small animals and insects. Dense communities of microorganisms grow on larger aquatic plants; insects and snails feed on these organisms and on the plants themselves, and are in turn eaten by fish.
Wildlife food. The seeds and foliage of water plants are the most important food of many types of waterfowl. An extensive study done in 1939 showed that nearly half of the food eaten by ducks in the continental United States was derived from higher freshwater plants.
Geese, swans, coots and grebes also rely heavily on water plants, and they are part of the diets of many other marsh, shore and game birds. Deer, beaver and muskrats also feed on the leaves and tubers of water plants.
Nesting and breeding habitat. Aquatic plants are essential breeding habitat for many fishes, amphibians and reptiles. Nesting and egg-scattering species deposit their eggs among aquatic plants, which later provide protection, escape cover, shade and food for the young. Shoreline plants provide nesting cover and nest material for many water birds, shorebirds and songbirds.
Erosion control. Water plants are important for natural erosion control. They minimize wave damage to the shorelines of ponds and lakes. Rooted underwater plants stabilize the bottom sediment and help keep the water clear.
Water Plants of Missouri Ponds tells more about the values and uses of aquatic plants. To order this full-color, 150-page book, visit the MDC Nature Shop
Reprinted from the March 1993 Missouri Conservationist
Copyright © 1993 by the Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri.
