Some 450 million years ago, there came the first land plants. Before then, marine algae roamed the waters. First land plants (scientifically known as Bryophyta) are known as non-vascular plants because of there lack of specialized cells that can move nutrients and water. Because of this, they were small and found in low, moist, coastal areas, because they need to get water directly. Later, the vascular plants came along with specialized cells, much like the plants we have today. These plants had leaves, roots, a vascular system (where it got its name), and good support. The oldest fossil found was dated to be around 450-440 million years ago, in the Ordovician Period. Let's review:
Bryophyta or "Amphibious Plants"
1. lacked the ability to move fluid and nutrients to the leaves
2. were small because of less nutrients and water
3. were limited to moist areas for reasons such as;
needed direct water for food, and
to prevent drying because they did not have cuticles
Among the first land plants discovered, one called Cooksonia, was a few inches tall and did not have leaves at all. Instead, it branched out into spore-bearing pods. The lichen was also one of the first land inhabitants, but it is actually two different organisms -an algae and a fungus.
The landscape back then was barren and rocky. Only along the shoreline was mud. There was no soil, just mud near the shoreline and rock further inland. But you might ask, " if there was no soil ,how do we have soil today " . Well, on top of the rocks was rock dust building up for millions of years. The rock dust was blown around the plants that currently were in the mud. When the plants died they decomposed on top of the dust and created soil.