Food crops[edit]

World aquaculture production of food fish and

aquatic plants, 1990–2016
Some aquatic plants are used by humans as a food source. Examples include wild rice (Zizania),
water caltrop (Trapa natans), Chinese water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis), Indian lotus (Nelumbo
nucifera), water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), prickly waterlily (Euryale ferox), and watercress
(Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum).
Bioassessment[edit]
A decline in a macrophyte community may indicate water quality problems and changes in the
ecological status of the water body. Such problems may be the result of
excessive turbidity, herbicides, or salination. Conversely, overly high nutrient levels may create
an overabundance of macrophytes, which may in turn interfere with lake processing.
[1]
Macrophyte levels are easy to sample, do not require laboratory analysis, and are easily used
for calculating simple abundance metrics.[1]
Potential sources of therapeutic agents[edit]
Phytochemical and pharmacological researches suggest that freshwater macrophytes, such
as Centella asiatica, Nelumbo nucifera, Nasturtium officinale, Ipomoea aquatica and Ludwigia
adscendens, are promising sources of anticancer and antioxidative natural products.[39]
Hot water extracts of the stem and root of Ludwigia adscendens, as well as those of the fruit, leaf
and stem of Monochoria hastata were found to have lipoxygenase inhibitory activity. Hot water
extract prepared from the leaf of Ludwigia adscendens exhibits alpha-glucosidase inhibitory
activity more potent than that of acarbose.[40]
Wastewater treatment[edit]
Macrophytes have an essential role in some forms of wastewater treatment, most commonly in
small scale sewage treatment using constructed wetlands or in polishing lagoons for larger
schemes.[38]

Invasive aquatic plants[edit]

The introduction of non-native aquatic plants has resulted in numerous examples across the
world of such plants becoming invasive and frequently dominating the environments into which
they have been introduced.[41] Such species include Water hyacinth which is invasive in many
tropical and sub-tropical locations including much of the southern US, many Asian countries and
Australia. New Zealand stonecrop is a highly invasive plant in temperate climates spreading from
a marginal plant to encompassing the whole body of many ponds to the almost total exclusion of
other plants and wildlife[42]
Other notable invasive plant species include floating pennywort,[43] Curly leaved pondweed,[42] the
fern ally Water fern[42] and Parrot's feather.[44] Many of these invasive plants have been sold as
oxygenating plants for aquaria or decorative plants for garden ponds and have then been
disposed of into the environment.[42]
 In 2012, a comprehensive overview of alien aquatic plants in 46 European countries found 96
alien aquatic species. The aliens were primarily native to North America, Asia, and South
America. The most spread alien plant in Europe was Elodea canadensis (Found in 41 European
countries) followed by Azolla filiculoides in 25 countries and Vallisneria spiralis in 22 countries.
[41]
The countries with the most recorded alien aquatic plant species were France and Italy with 30
species followed by Germany with 27 species, and Belgium and Hungary with 26 species. [41]
The European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization has published
recommendations to European nations advocating the restriction or banning of the trade in
invasive alien plants.[45]

See also[edit]
 Wetlands portal

 Aquatic animal
 Aquatic Botany (journal)
 Aquatic
 Aquatic ecosystem
 Aquatic locomotion
 Aquatic mammal
 Botany
 List of freshwater aquarium plant species
 List of wetland plants
 Marine biology
 Plant community
 Raunkiær plant life-form
 Terrestrial animal
 Terrestrial ecosystem
 Terrestrial locomotion
 Terrestrial plant
 Wetland – Land area that is permanently, or seasonally saturated with water
 Wetland indicator status