The researchers found that the small amount of plastic that did enter the stems was blocked from going to the leaves by the water hyacinth’s vascular ring, a structure that transports water and nutrients through the plants. While the tissue outside the ring, which connects to the roots, had high levels of microplastic, the tissue inside the ring, which connects to the leaves, had no plastic, the researchers found.
Fun fact! In the early 1900s, people tried wiping out these plants by importing hippos from Africa:
In 1910, a bold solution was put forth by the New Foods Society. Their plan was to import and release hippopotamus from Africa into the rivers and bayous of Louisiana. The hippopotamus would then eat the water hyacinth and also produce meat to solve another serious problem at the time, the American meat crisis.
So is this were the Simpsons meme came from?
