The goal of the research was to understand how three types of plants take up nutrients from polluted water. The researchers grew the plants in a nutrient solution and measured how fast they absorbed phosphorus, ammonia, and nitrate. They found that one plant, Scirpus triqueter, absorbed phosphorus the fastest, while Typha orientalis was best at taking up ammonia. Overall, the plants preferred ammonia over nitrate. The study showed that different plants have different abilities to clean up polluted water, and this is influenced by their root structures.