Aquatic plants

Multiple plant groups that thrive in aquatic habitats have evolved independently. These plants are integral to lake, river, and wetland ecosystems where they produce oxygen, maintain water quality and support a diversity of aquatic life. Others form critical coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves and seagrass meadows. The transition of plants to aquatic environments from land represents a compelling evolutionary issue. Studying their specialized adaptations offers valuable insights into both convergent and reductive evolution, viewed through the lenses of morphology, fossils, and genomes. This primer explores how different plant lineages have adapted to life in water.