Plants represent an important and extraordinarily diverse group of organisms. Photosynthesis in plants and algae contributes the energy supporting life in nearly all of the Earth’s ecosystems. Oxygen, produced by photosynthesis, has also radically changed the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere and all life dependent on it. We are most familiar with flowering plants, which now dominate most environments on land, but these species are relatively recent innovations in plant evolution. In this course, we will go back millions of years in time, and discuss early life on Earth, the emergence of photosynthesis, and the first plants, which appeared on land. We will then follow the changes in form and function that have resulted in the diverse assemblages of modern plants. Our discussions will include now extinct plants, and surviving ancient species as well as particular modern plants that demonstrate novel evolutionary outcomes.
