what plants live in lakes
Like algae, aquatic plants play a vital role in lake ecology because they provide cover, habitat, and food. However, too many plants can limit swimming, fishing, water skiing, boating, and aesthetic appreciation.
Introduction. Aquatic and wetland plants are essential to the ecology of Florida lakes, such as Lake Okeechobee, but they can also pose ecological and water use problems. Plants provide food and habitat for sport fish and other wildlife, help improve water clarity, and help stabilize shorelines and bottom sediments.
Vascular plants are described by the way they grow and where they occur at different depth gradients in the lake: Emersed (or emergent) plants occur along the shoreline and in the shallower zone. They are rooted to the bottom and grow above the water surface. Submersed plants occur mostly in deeper zones.
First found in Lake Okeechobee in 2007, tropical watergrass is an invasive grass that has already impacted lake ecology by creating massive, impenetrable mats. The floating mats consist of tropical watergrass stems, floating debris, and other live plants.