Question

The earliest known land plants date to the

A. Precambrian.
B. Carboniferous (late Paleozoic era).
C. Ordovician (early Paleozoic era).
D. Jurassic (Mesozoic era).

Answer 1

The earliest known land plants date back to the (C) Ordovician period (early Paleozoic era), based on fossilized cells, cuticles, and spores that have been found. This period precedes the Carboniferous and Jurassic periods.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to the dating of the earliest known land plants and their relation to geological time periods. The correct answer to the question is that the earliest known land plants date back to the Ordovician period (early Paleozoic era). This period is significantly earlier than the Carboniferous period, which is known for its vast coal-forming forests. It also predates the Jurassic period, which is a part of the Mesozoic era and well known for its dinosaurs.

During the Ordovician period, more than 500 million years ago, the ancestors of modern land plants began colonizing land. The fossilized evidence, such as cells, cuticles, and spores, indicates that these early land plants resembled present-day liverworts. Further evolution and diversification of plants, including the development of vascular systems, occurred in subsequent geological periods, such as the Devonian period where we find evidences of vascular plants in the Rhynie chert.

The emergence of land plants was a pivotal moment in Earth’s history, enabling the colonization of land by various animal species and setting the stage for the richly diverse ecosystems we see today.