Plants

These adaptations include:

• Aquatic Adaptations: Many wetland plants have adaptations that allow them to live partially or fully submerged in water. They often have hollow or spongy tissues that provide buoyancy and enable them to float.

• Tolerance to Waterlogged Soils: Wetland plants have adaptations that help them cope with waterlogged or anaerobic (low oxygen) soils. They often possess specialized root systems which extend above the water or soil surface to access oxygen. These structures facilitate gas exchange and allow the plants to obtain the oxygen they need.

• Tolerance to Flooding: Wetland plants have adaptations to withstand periodic or prolonged flooding. Some species can elongate their stems or leaves to keep their above-ground portions above the water surface. Additionally, plants may have flexible stems that can bend without breaking under the pressure of moving water. These adaptations help them survive and continue photosynthesis even when submerged temporarily.

• Aerating Tissues: Wetland plants often have specialized tissues or structures that facilitate gas exchange. For example, many wetland species have stomata, small openings on leaves, which can open or close to regulate gas exchange. Some plants also have lenticels on their stems or roots, which are pores that allow gas exchange between the plant and the surrounding air.

• Salt Tolerance: Coastal wetland plants, such as Sitka Spruce and salt marsh species, have adaptations to tolerate high salinity levels. They can exclude or excrete excess salt through specialized glands or salt-secreting tissues. Some species can also absorb fresh water from saltwater, allowing them to maintain their internal water balance.

• Tolerance to Frequent Cutting: Wetland plants in the Pacific Northwest evolved with the original wetland engineers: American beavers. Since beavers desire the delicious green layer under woody bark called cambium, they are often cutting down whole branches to chew clean. Wetland plants like willow, Oregon Ash, and dogwood not only survive but thrive from the beavers’ constant browsing. Some wetland plants can form into new plants just by sticking one of their branches in the ground.

• Reproductive Strategies: Wetland plants have various reproductive strategies to ensure the survival of their species. Some plants produce buoyant seeds or fruits that can float and disperse through water, aiding in colonization of new wetland areas. Others rely on vegetative propagation, sending out specialized roots and stems to establish new plants in adjacent areas.

• Nutrient gathering: Some wetlands (typically bogs and fens) are very high in peat deposits, but are very low in nutrients and therefore the plants that live there need nutrients from places other than soil – so they get it from insects!  Take the Darlingtonia, also called Cobra Lily. It is adapted to draw the insects in with its nectar – and then confuses the insect with transparent looking areas that appear like exits – the insect goes further down the stem and then is trapped by hairs and lands in a pool of water.

These adaptations allow wetland plants to thrive in the challenging conditions of wetlands, contributing to the unique and diverse ecosystems they create. Look for submerged species like cattails, sedges, and rushes; shrub species like spirea, dogwood, and snowberry; and wetland specific trees like Oregon ash, Sitka spruce, and red alder.