Wetland Plant Adaptations

Physiological Adaptations to Wetland Environments

• Radial oxygen loss to the rhizosphere occurs in wetland plants, where oxygen leaks out into the surrounding soil environment from the roots.
• This process has two benefits: it oxidizes toxic products caused by reducing conditions in wetland soils, preventing them from building up to harmful levels around the roots, and it supplies oxygen to nitrifying bacteria.
• Nitrifying bacteria transform ammonium to nitrate, the form of nitrogen that is most readily taken up by most plant species.
• Wetland plants have a greater tolerance to the toxic end products of anaerobic respiration, including ethanol and acetaldehyde.
• Some wetland plants are thought to have more efficient means of tolerating or exporting these byproducts from the roots.

This quiz explores physiological adaptations of plants in wetland environments, including radial oxygen loss to the rhizosphere and its benefits.