Many aquatic plants have common features of adaptation –
Adaptive characteristics of aquatic plants

Water environment and terrestrial environment is very different. Water environment with liquidity, moderate temperature, light intensity is weak, less oxygen and so on. Aquatic plants in the long process of evolution, the formation of a number of water environment compatible with the morphological structure, so it can propagate itself and in the whole plant taxa to occupy a certain position.

Water environment in weak light intensity, so aquatic plants, leaves are usually thinner, and some leaves, such as silk or a thin crack was linear; some showed ribbon; some leniency was transparent and shaped leaves, not only the distribution of chloroplasts in mesophyll cells is also distributed in the epidermal cells, and chloroplasts can be with the flow of protoplasm to the welcome smooth, so that the water can be used effectively weak light for photosynthesis.

Water environment in the air in the oxygen content of less than 1 / 20, in order to adapt to anoxic environment, aquatic plants have developed a ventilation system. Lotus leaf pores through the air of oxygen, oxygen into the leaves, lotus root of its oxygen concentration is higher than the oxygen concentration in the various organs of oxygen through the petiole aerenchyma was extending in all directions to spread underground to ensure that underground organ’s normal breathing and metabolism of需要. This ventilation system is an open type. The ventilation system is Ceratophyllum demersum are closed, the plants can store the carbon dioxide released when their breathing, the need for photosynthesis, while the oxygen released by photosynthesis, stored up, in order to meet the needs of breathing .

Aquatic plant somatic cell gap big, huge cavity and form a coherent system and filled with air, can supply the need of life activities, but also adjust buoyancy.

Aquatic plants is very easy to get water, so that their conducting tissue of vascular bundles have demonstrated varying degrees of degradation. Roots generally underdeveloped, there is no cuticle thicker leaf surface, wax, or bolt quality. Adequate moisture is favorable conditions for aquatic plants, but the water will be too many adverse consequences, so water plants have a drainage device, both as excess water can be excreted, but also continuously receive water, inorganic nutrients.

Many submerged plants are the size of the shape with the depth of the water change, such as Myriophyllum 10 cm deep in the water, it is only 10 centimeters in height and internode is very short, but at 2 meters deep in the water, its plants up to 2 meters. The adaptability of plants to water depth is very strong.

Because of abundant water, so aquatic plants vegetative reproduction accounts for an important position. Ceratophyllum was broken, water, duckweed and so can grow into a new strain of reeds and lotus rhizome can produce new strains, and some of the winter buds come through special breeding. Aquatic plants can also make sexual reproduction.

Many of the plants the seed and the fruit is spread through the movement of water. Such as the Gorgon fruit, there are more seeds, each piece wrapped in two layers of the seed well-developed and filled with air aril. When the peel rot, and the seeds shed floating on the water, drifting with the water, until the false seed coat damage, only to lose buoyancy, submerged in water, and in the mud in the winter, germinate and grow the following year, in new areas to develop.