EVOLUTION OF PLANT LIFE
Of course, animal and plant life affect each other, especially if the animals are vegetarian or don't look where they're tromping. But even in areas devoid of animals, plants still try to crowd each other out, and this competition alone forces them to change.
- We see water everywhere, and algae and seaweeds have no problem floating around on top taking in the sunlight. As far as land goes, these creatures can say, "Who needs it?" However, what if water starts drying up along the shores and some of the greenery even gets trapped in a pool?
- The species needs to get along without steady, direct contact with ocean water. Some of them have to develop some covering, so they won't dry out so quickly. Roots to get water from the ground help, and they keep the plant from blowing away. It's also time to stick up something to get more sunlight. Moss arrives on the scene first.
- One can see evolution by walking along the seashore. The least evolved plants stay in the water with moss close by; those built to handle more dryness will live farther from the water. As spores (a fine dust) develop with a covering, a more advanced moss can venture even farther inland because the spore can sit idle until it gets wet.
- Plants grow longer and longer roots in order to get to underground water better. They also develop tubes to carry food upwards allowing them to grow taller and leafier.
- With all the humidity, carbon dioxide, and empty land, the greenery simply explodes about four hundred million years ago. Trees appear, and you can guess the bacteria, animals, and fungus happily come along too. Evolution continues for almost one hundred million years. Plants and animals cover the land, but hardly any of these species has survived. Why?
