Common Duckweed vs Goldman's Nectar Bat

Lemna minor compared with Lonchophylla mordax

Key Differences

• Common Duckweed is Least Concern while Goldman's Nectar Bat is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Duckweed	Goldman's Nectar Bat
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Alismatales (Alismatales)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Araceae	Phyllostomidae
Genus	Lemna	Lonchophylla
Species	Lemna minor	Lonchophylla mordax

Conservation Status

Common Duckweed

LC — Least Concern

Goldman's Nectar Bat

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Duckweed	Goldman's Nectar Bat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Duckweed

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (8 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Guyana).

Goldman's Nectar Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Colombia. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Common Duckweed

<em>Lemna minor</em>, commonly known as common duckweed, is a tiny floating aquatic plant in the family Araceae, recognized as one of the smallest flowering plants on Earth. Classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, the species enjoys a broad distribution across Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, colonizing a diverse array of habitats including grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated land with access to standing or slow-moving water. It typically inhabits ponds, lakes, ditches, and quiet streams, forming extensive green mats on the water surface. <em>Lemna minor</em> reproduces predominantly through asexual budding, allowing populations to expand rapidly under favorable conditions. The species provides vital ecosystem services, stabilizing nutrient cycles, reducing algal blooms through competition, and offering food and shelter for aquatic invertebrates, fish, and waterfowl. Due to its sensitivity to water quality, it is frequently used as a bioindicator in ecotoxicological research. Common duckweed has also attracted scientific interest for its potential in wastewater treatment and as a high-protein animal feed supplement. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.