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| Lotus |
Aquatic students are now starting the aquatic plant unit. Today we started with a review of botany and looked at how aquatic plants differ from aquatic plants. Aquatic plants (hydrophyte) are found in wetland areas. The three criteria for a wetland include water, water loving plants and soil that has been inundated with water so that the soil become anaerobic.
Wetland plants are important because:
A. Roots bind soil and help stop erosion
B. Roots take up nitrates and phosphates.
C. Water leaving a wetland is cleaner than when it entered the wetland.
D. Wetland plants provide food, nutrients, and nesting areas for many animals including birds, fish, shellfish, insects, reptiles ....
It is important for students to understand that one must protect the environment if they want to protect the animals living there. Loss of habitat is one of the major causes of decreased diversity of our wetland animals.
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| Caddo Lake |
My favorite wetland is Caddo Lake. If you are not familiar with Caddo Lake, it is a Cypress Swamp that sits on the border of Texas and Lousianna. This is a very unique habitat and is endangered due to the influx of invasive aquatic plants. The major invasive plants are Hydrilla, Water Hyacinth, and Giant Salvinia.
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| Hydrilla |
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| Water Hyacinth |
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| Giant Salvinia |
As class progresses, students will learn to identify the invasive aquatic plants. Since students and their parents are the ones that fish, ski, and boat on the lake, they are more likely to discover new invasive plants in our local lakes. This is important because the sooner an invasive is identified the sooner management can occur.
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