The origin and early evolution of land plants

The Origin and early evolution of land plants

Dr Charles Wellman, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield

The origin of land plants was one of the most important events in the history of life on Earth. It is of immense evolutionary significance as it represents the origin of one of the three kingdoms of multicellular life. It is also significant in terms of the environment of planet Earth, as the origin and subsequent evolution of terrestrial vegetation had profound influence on biogeochemical cycles, effecting atmospheric composition and climate, patterns of weathering, erosion and sedimentation, soil formation etc. In view of its overwhelming significance, research into the origin and early evolution of land plants has been a long standing scientific concern. It embraces many fields including the study of extant plants, fossil plants and past environments. This talk will consider the fossil record of the earliest land plants. It will summarize our current understanding of the ‘invasion of the land by plants’ based on a consideration of a number of exceptionally preserved biotas. This tells the story about how the earliest diminutive plants, that colonised small patches of damp ground in the Mid Ordovician, evolved into forests that colonised much of the planet surface by the Mid Devonian.

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