Plants, Fungi, and the
Colonization of Land
Migration onto Land
• Continents subjected to flooding and
receding of seas throughout geologic time.
• Natural selection could have favored algae
that could survive periods of being
unsubmerged.
• Eventually, some species may have
accumulated adaptations allowing
permanent life out of water
Land vs. Water Environment
• Differences
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Support
Access to minerals
Photosynthesis
Reproduction
Plant Structures
Sporangia
Plant Evolutionary History 1
Plant Evolutionary History 2
Alternation of Generations
Mosses
Ferns
Gymnosperms
M
F
Gymnosperm Life Cycle
Angeosperms
Flower Structure
Angeosperm Life Cycle
Wind Dispersal
Attach to Animals
Eaten By Animals
Mutualism
Fungi
• Developed closely alongside plants
– Probably went on land with plants
– Plants and other life rely on them
• Heterotrophic
• Structurally and reproductively different
from all other organisms
• Primarily multicellular
Typical Fungal Structure
Bread Mold
Fungal life cycle
Lichens