Minnesota Waters is a statewide 501(c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the health of the lakes and rivers in our state. They have a Twitter account (@MinnesotaWaters) that I have been following. This morning they tweeted a link to an article title ‘In Homage to the Shore‘ written by Darby Nelson. Along with other accomplishments Darby has a Ph.D. in aquatic ecology from the University of Minnesota.
‘In Homage to the Shore” he discusses aquatic plants and it is very interesting. A short list of why aquatic plants are important was provided by Darby.
- They stabilize bottom sediments with their roots, thereby reducing riling of sediments
- Provide food and shelter for many fish species
- Produce oxygen through photosynthesis so essential to life forms that live in the shallows
- Provide refuge for near shore animals (think ducklings)
- Plants that are native can limit growth of non-native invasive plants
Want to learn more about Darby? Read what Don Shelby wrote about Darby.
The aquatic plants produce the beneficial bacteria which helps to break down the fish waste and organic compound. And also it is no toxic as compare to artificial plants.