Structure and Functions of Aquatic Plants

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Structure and Functions of Aquatic Plants

• By Allen Rhoadarmer
• Mesa Public Schools

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Objectives

• In aquaculture students will be able to
• Name the major aquatic plant species in the U.S.
• Explain why aquatic crops may be more productive
  than terrestrial crops.

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Objectives

• In aquaculture students will be able to
• List three aquatic plants that potentially could
  be cultured in the U.S.
• List three other uses for aquatic plants besides
  human food.

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Objectives

• In aquaculture students will be able to
• Give examples of aquatic plants that could be
  used in polyculture.

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Objectives

• In science students will be able to
• Recognize the scientific names for some common
  aquatic species
• List and describe important biological
  characteristics in selecting a species for
  aquaculture
• Explain how aquatic species save energy when
  compared to terrestrial species

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Objectives

• In science students will be able to
• List and describe the major characteristics of
  aquatic plants

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1. Why Do We Culture Aquatic Plants?

• Production of
• A. Food
• B. Feed
• Chemical products
• Wastewater treatment
• Biomass production for conversion to energy

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2. Of the chemical or products obtained from
aquatic plants what is the most widespread
material used in foods?

• A phycocolloid called carrageen.
• Carrageen is used in foods for gelling,
  thickening, and stabilizing.
• It is a polysaccharide.

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3. What is the first link in the aquatic food
chain?

• Phytoplankton
• Uses sunlight to produce food energy and
  contribute oxygen to the water
• Is the food source for zooplankton and some fish
• Produces a bloom that helps shade out unwanted
  rooted aquatic plants.
• Pond fertilization encourages the production

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4. What is zooplankton and how does it fit in the
food chain?

• Zooplankton is primarily
• copepods (very small crustaceans) and
• rotifers
• They serve as a vital food source for all fish
  and fry.

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Example of a Food Chain

• Phytoplankton

• Zooplankton

• Crayfish

• Largemouth Bass

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureSpirulina

• (Spirulina Spp)
• Protein content of some species 70 percent

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureSpirulina

• Collected and dried into patties for human
  consumption in some Asian countries and Mexico

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureSpirulina

• Nutritious supplement
• Distinct taste

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureBrown Algae or
Kelp

• (Spp)
• Used for food Mulch, fertilizer Phyococolloids

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureBrown Algae or
Kelp

• Called wakame in Japan
• Dried, chopped, and used in salads

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureBrown Algae or
Kelp

• Brownish color comes from xanthophyll
• Giant kelp may grow to 200 feet

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Giant Kelp

• The largest of all marine plants, the giant kelp
  grows to a length of over 60 m (200 ft).

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Giant Kelp

• Commonly called seaweed

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Giant Kelp

• The giant kelp and other kelp species differ from
  the more advanced flowering plants in lacking.
• True leaves,
• Stems,
• Roots,
• Vascular system for transporting water and
  nutrients.

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Giant Kelp

• The giant kelp and other kelp species are a food
  staple in Japan and other areas.

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Giant Kelp

• Substances extracted from kelp are used in the
  manufacture of ice cream, cosmetics, and other
  materials.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureGreen Algae

• (Monostroma macro)
• Used for food, mulch, fertilizer

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureGreen Algae

• Least cultured of three macroalgae
• Called aonori in Japan

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureRed Algae or
Laver

• (Porphyra spp)
• Used for food, Feed, Mulch, fertilizer, and
  Phycocoloids

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureRed Algae or
Laver

• Cultured in Japan back to 1570
• Dried and high in protein

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureRed Algae or
Laver

• Some havested for livestock feed
• U.S. leads in carrageenan production a
  phycocolloid

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureDuckweed

• (Lemna spp)
• Used for feed and Waste water treatment
• Favorite food of herbivorous fish and water fowl

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureDuckweed

• Harvested and used for livestock feed
• One of least expensive to produce.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureSmall Duckweed

• (Lemna valdiviana)
• Small duckweeds are floating plants.
• They are commonly found in still or sluggish
  waters.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureSmall Duckweed

• They often form large floating mats.
• Small duckweeds are tiny (1/16 to 1/8 inch) green
  plants with shoe-shaped leaves.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureSmall Duckweed

• Each plant has two to several leaves joined at
  the base.
• A single root hangs beneath.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureSmall Duckweed

• Each plant has two to several leaves joined at
  the base.
• A single root hangs beneath.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureSmall Duckweed

• Small duckweed may be confused with giant
  duckweed, Spirodela polyrhiza.
• Compare the leaf shape and size, and the root
  number.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureGiant Duckweed

• (Spirodela polyrhiza)
• Giant duckweed is a floating plant.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureGiant Duckweed

• Though very small, it is the largest of the
  duckweeds.
• They can grow into dense masses in stagnant water
  bodies.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureGiant Duckweed

• Giant duckweed has two to three rounded leaves,
  which are usually connected.
• Giant duckweeds have two to several roots beneath
  each leaf.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureGiant Duckweed

• Giant duckweed may be confused with small
  duckweed, Lemna species. Compare the leaf shape
  and size, and the root number.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureWater Spinach

• (Ipomoea aquatica)
• Water spinach is an immersed plant.
• Its vines can reach nine feet long.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureWater Spinach

• Like others in the morning-glory family, water
  spinach is a vine.
• The long viney stem of water spinach
  distinguishes it from other aquatic plants.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureWater Spinach

• Its vines can reach nine feet long.
• Water spinach leaves are almost arrowhead-shaped,
  one to six inches long, and one to three inches
  wide.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureWater Spinach

• The leaves have notched bases, with rounded or
  pointed lobes.
• Water spinach flowers are morning-glory-like
• Two inches wide,
• Funnel-shaped and.
• Can be white, pink, or pale lilac.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureWater Hyacinth

• (Eichhornia crassipes)
• Water hyacinths vary in size from a few inches to
  over three feet tall.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureWater Hyacinth

• They have showy lavender flowers.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureWater Hyacinth

• Water hyacinth leaves are rounded and leathery,
  attached to spongy and sometimes inflated stalks.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureWater Hyacinth
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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureWater Hyacinth

• The plant has dark feathery roots.
• Water hyacinth may be confused with frog's-bit,
  Limnobium spongia. Compare the roots and stems.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureArrowhead Vine

• (Syngonium podophyllum)

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureArrowhead Vine

• (Syngonium podophyllum)

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureCat-tails

• (Typha species)
• Typha species often grow to cover large areas of
  wetlands, lakes and rivers.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureCat-tails

• They are among the most common of all aquatic and
  wetland plants anywhere.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureCat-tails

• Cat-tails get their name from their brown
  cylindrical flower spikes which can be more than
  1 ft. long.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureCat-tails

• Cat-tails provide protective cover and nesting
  areas for animals and birds.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureCat-tails

• Cat-tails are rhizomes that are extensive and
  fleshy

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureCat-tails

• Stems can grow up to 9 ft. tall

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureCat-tails

• They have leaf blades strap-like, stiff, rounded
  on back, spiraling in top half, sheathed together
  at base to appear "flattened"

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureCat-tails

• They are inflorescence spike-like, very densely
  packed with tiny flowers, male flowers in top
  cluster, female flowers in bottom cluster

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureChinese
Waterchestnut

• (Eleocharis dulcis)
• Small-scale production in the U.S. compared to
  Asia

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureChinese
Waterchestnut

• Corm consumed each corm produces about 20 lbs of
  new corms in about220 days
• Labor intensive useful in polyculture.

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Aquatic Plants for AquacultureWatercress

• (Nasturtium officinale)
• Primary freshwater aquatic plant produced in the
  U.S.
• Requires abundant continuous flowing water
• Many people harvest wild crop

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Aquatic Plants for Aquaculture

• Which ones tastes good?
• Which ones are most common in diets?
• Which ones grow in the U.S.?
• Which part of a cattail can be eaten?

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• Types of Algae

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Volvox
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Green Algae

• The green algae, shown here exposed at low tide,
  are one of 6,000 to 7,000 species of plants
  belonging to the phylum Chlorophyta.

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Green Algae

• Organisms in this phylum may appear as single
  cells, amorphous sheets, or collections of long
  filamentous strands.

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Green Algae

• Although able to survive in marine and fresh
  waters, damp soil, or snow and ice, most species
  are found in freshwater habitats.

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Cyanobacteria

• Formerly blue-green algae).
• They are among the most ancient organisms on
  earth.

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Cyanobacteria

• These photsynthetic organisms can be
  single-celled
• Connected in a filamentous form as shown here

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Cyanobacteria

• Or arranged in simple colonies.

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Cyanobacteria

• They are capable of enduring a wide variety of
  environmental conditions.
• Ranging from freshwater and marine habitats.
• To snowfields and glaciers.

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Cyanobacteria

• They are capable of surviving and flourishing
  even at extremely high temperatures.

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Diatoms

• They are single-celled algae.
• With a cell wall made of silica, or glass.

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Diatoms

• They are significant components
• Of the phytoplankton

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Diatoms

• Tiny, floating, photosynthetic organisms that
  form the base of aquatic food chains.

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Euglena
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Plankton in a Drop of Water

• As pictured here, a variety of plankton can exist
  in a single drop of ocean water.

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Plankton in a Drop of Water

• In fact, plankton can become dense enough to
  color the water.

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Plankton in a Drop of Water

• The red tides that occur in coastal waters around
  the world are caused by billions of plankton of
  various species.

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