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This page is out of date. Click here to visit our new site. Plant seeds could not grow or spread very quickly. They needed the wind to carry the pollen to the egg. Also it took over a year for the plant to store enough food in the seed to make sure the baby plant could grow.About 200 million years ago a new kind of plant evolved. It attracted insects using colored flowers, and gave them sugary nectar to eat. Bees, butterflies and other animals evolved to eat the nectar offered by the flowers. While eating they picked up pollen on their bodies which they carried to other flowers. The pollen itself was different. It carried two sperm. One fertilized the egg. The second fertilized the flower which then grew rapidly into a fruit. The seed used this for food. These flowering plants could grow and make fruits in just a few weeks, so they spread much faster than the seed plants. Fruits, berries and nuts appeared, so there was lots of new food for animals. New animals evolved to eat the fruit. The land became filled with the color and scent of many beautiful blooms. The hardwood trees and other plants of the tropical rain forest, now being so rapidly destroyed by people, are of this kind. Useful LinksClick for Further information about Fruiting Plants Other History of the Universe Pages News about History of the Universe |
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