Question

In a hydrophyte, the submerged leaves compensate for the roots that plant belongs to the category of
A) Free floating hydrophytes
B) Submerged rooted hydrophytes
C) Rooted hydrophytes with floating leaves
D) Submerged suspended hydrophytes

Answer 1

Hydrophytes are the plants that have adapted to living in an aquatic environment. They are also referred to as macrophytes to distinguish algae and other macrophytes.

Complete answer:
Hydrophytes are aquatic plants that grow only in water. They may live freely, entirely or partially submerged. They survive in the water by modifying their leaves, stems and roots. Example- water lily, hydrilla, etc.
A) Free floating hydrophytes are the plants that remain floating on the surface of water but in some species the roots remain embedded in the mud and only some parts of the plant like flowers and leaves float on water, hence the submerged leaves compensate for the roots.
Example- Pistia, Eichhornia, Wolffia, etc.
B) Submerged rooted hydrophytes are the plants that are completely immersed in water and their roots are embedded in the mud.
Example – Hydrilla, Vallisneria, Potamogeton, etc.
C) Rooted hydrophytes with floating leaves are the plants which are rooted in the mud but their leaves and flowers float on the water surface.
Example – Nymphaea, Nelumbium, Marsilea, etc.
D) Submerged suspended hydrophytes are the plants which grow below the water and not in contact with the atmosphere.
Example – Ceratophyllum, Utricularia, etc.

Therefore, in the above discussion we have seen that in a hydrophyte, the submerged leaves compensate for the roots that plant belongs to the category of free floating hydrophytes.

Hence the correct answer is option ’A’.

Note: Hydrophytes are the plants that only grow in water. They may be freely floated, partially or entirely submerged. Hydrophytes that are partially submerged have floating leaves with stomata through which gases can be exchanged as in land plants.