A waxy cuticle that covers the outer surface of the plant and prevents drying out through evaporation. The cuticle also partially protects against radiation damage from UV light.
Stomata (singular: stoma) are present in all land plant lineages except liverworts (similar to -but not the same as! – mosses). Stomata are pores or holes which allow for exchange of gasses (such as oxygen and carbon dioxide) between the plant cells and the environment. Stomata or similar structures are necessary in land plants because the waxy cuticle blocks free-flow of gasses.
Roots (or root-like structures) anchor plants to the soil and—in plants with true roots— serve as conduits for water absorption. All land plants except Bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) have true roots. Bryophytes have root-like structures called rhizoids that anchor them to their substrate but are not involved in water absorption (which is less important for Bryophytes because they can only survive in very moist environments).
Mutualistic association with mycorrhizal fungi, which are tightly associated with plant roots. Mychorrhizal fungi are associated with approximately 80% of all land plant species and provide additional surface area for absorption of both water and nutrients from the soil. The fungi share these resources with the plant roots, and—in exchange— the plant shares photosynthetic sugar products with the fungi.
The alternation of generations life cycle, which includes both a multicellular haploid stage and a multicellular diploid stage. Why is this an adaptation to life on land? It isn’t, in and of itself—in fact, it also occurs in *some* green algae, which are aquatic but share a common ancestor with all land plants. But specific adaptations to the alternation of generations life cycle have occurred in different lineages of plants, and those adaptations DO function as adaptations to life on land. We’ll consider these adaptations later in this reading.
These are from my text book, from last year.