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Biological Environment > Ferns |
Earth Earlier Earlier 350 Million Years ago Later Earth After Plants Later |
This site tells the story of the history of the universe. Click Earlier and Later to follow the story. Note: Many facts have been simplified to make them easier to understand. |
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By 350 million years ago ferns the size of trees were common. They had solved most of the problems of living on land but were still tied to moist ground for their reproduction. Many ferns grew in swamps. They grew from a small underground growth called a prothallus. The sperm swam from one prothallus to fertilize the egg on another. Without water or wet ground they could not reproduce.
When they died some ferns fell into the swamp. Decomposition could not happen because there was no oxygen in this water so the plants were buried and eventually turned into the stone we call coal. The ferns we see today are still among the most primitive of plants. Their fronds uncurl and carry spores on their undersides. |
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Earth Earlier Earlier 350 Million Years ago Later Earth After Plants Later |
Biological Environment > Ferns |
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Basic Information |
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