The Borough of Mountain Lakes The Aquatic Plants of Mountain Lakes Created March 2017 Borough of Introduction to Aquatic Plants Mountain Lakes 400 Boulevard Aquatic plants in a lake come in many different sizes, shapes and Mountain Lakes, NJ function. This diversity is similar to the different components of a 07046 forest, having low grasses, understory shrubs, diminutive trees and vines, and canopy forming trees. Different aquatic plants inhabit dif- 973-334-3131 ferent ecological niches depending on a myriad of physical, chemical http://mtnlakes.org and biological conditions. Although many lake recreational users view aquatic plants as nui- sance “weeds”, a balanced native aquatic plant community has sev- eral important ecological functions. These include: Shoreline Buffer Sediment Stabilization Wildlife Habitat Aesthetics In this guide: Nutrient Uptake Red indicates an Aquatic plants fall into the following broad categories. Submersed Invasive species aquatic plants grow along the lake bottom and are entirely sub- merged save perhaps for flowers or seeds. Floating-leaf plants in- Blue indicates a clude duckweeds and lilies, and have leaves on the surface of a lake. Native species Emergent plants have roots in standing water, but the majority of Green indicates an the plant occurs above the water’s surface. Finally, some aquatic Algal species plant growth is actually macro-algae. Below are a list of icons for the aquatic plants in this guide. Call to Action! ICON KEY Please Contact Rich Sheola, Borough Manager
[email protected] Submersed Emergent Floating-leaf Macro-algae PAGE 2 THE AQUATIC PLANTS O F MOUNTAIN LAKES CREATED MARCH 2017 Summary of Aquatic Plants at Mt.