Macrophytes (aquatic plants or hydrophytes) although in this guide we have placed them within algae, in reality they are not part of them, but are real plants that have adapted to live in very humid or aquatic environments. The reason for having included them within the algae is simply the fact that they are colloquially called algae.
Returning to the adaptation of macrophytes to the aquatic environment, there are different degrees of such adaptation, and therefore they are a tremendously heterogeneous group of species, in which we can find...
- Partially submerged (emergent macrophytes) (they are the majority). In general, these are perennial species that, being partially submerged because the bottoms where they live are usually permanently or temporarily flooded, develop their reproductive organs above the water surface.
- Species that have floating leaves (floating macrophytes). Unlike the previous ones, the bottoms where we find these species are permanently waterlogged, and therefore have developed specialized structures that allow the leaves to float on the water surface. We differentiate between rooted floating macrophytes, which have their roots anchored to the bottom; and free-floating macrophytes, which as their name suggests, their roots are not anchored to the bottom but hang from the floating leaves.
- Species that are totally submerged (submerged macrophytes). In this group we find what are probably the best known group of macrophytes, the angiosperms. These plants live completely below the surface of the water, in regions where sunlight strikes them directly, so they are species that inhabit relatively shallow waters and are rarely found below 30 meters deep.
Macrophytes are species considered as primary producers, which not only produce oxygen but also represent the base of the trophic chain for many organisms. Not only that, but they generate a tremendously rich ecosystem in the environments in which they grow, as they are usually a refuge for a multitude of different species.
