However, it is often the case that these plants would do much better in a less stressful environment. If it had the choice, it would probably want to grow in your backyard and not knee-deep in a swamp. It occurs there because it has physiological adaptations that allow it to cope with flooding, not necessarily because it grows best there. It is forced there because it is outcompeted in upland environments, and it survives there because few other species have the adaptations to withstand flooding. See figure 2.
Physiological adaptation involves coordinated adjustment by ALLl physiological processes.
For example, if plants change growth rate, must change capability to acquire carbon and nutrients to support this growth.