n. pl. morÂ·pholÂ·oÂ·gies. 1. a. The branch of biology that deals with the form and structure of organisms without consideration of function. b. The form and structure of an organism or one of its parts: the morphology of a cell; the morphology of vertebrates. 2. Linguistics The study of the structure and form of words in language or a language, including inflection, derivation, and the formation of compounds.
Vascular plants are described by the way they grow and where they occur at different depth gradients in the lake: Emersed (or emergent) plants occur along the shoreline and in the shallower zone. They are rooted to the bottom and grow above the water surface. Submersed plants occur mostly in deeper zones.
White water lilies are a typical marsh plant in European areas of deeper water. Many kinds of birds nest in marshes; this one is a yellow-headed blackbird. Marshes provide a habitat for many species of plants, animals, and insects that have adapted to living in flooded conditions.