Plant Evolution 0. Foreword

In the history of life on Earth, plants have had a far more profound effect on our planet than any other kingdom of life. Yet, in reconstructions of Earth’s past, plants seem to be minor players or, in some cases, mysteriously absent altogether. With that in mind, this series aims to explore one of nature’s greatest untold stories. In this eight-part series, we’ll see how the first photosynthetic cells emerged in the primeval oceans, how plants shaped our atmosphere, and caused some of the greatest catastrophes of all time. We’ll see their progression onto dry land, how they paved the way for land animals, our own ancestors, and how the oxygen they produced created giant prehistoric monsters. And we’ll see how the plant kingdom adapted to a changing world, creating changes in shape, life cycle and associations with animals and fungi. While the latter are not plants, some examples are so extraordinary that they are worth visiting. The algae, meanwhile, may appear to be closely related to plants, but are almost as distantly related to them as we are, and since they do not change greatly since their first formation, they will be left behind early on. Along the way, we’ll see how plants left us telltale clues in the fossil record, allowing us to get a sense of how they lived and reproduced. The series is intended as general interest, but for those interested to learn more, I’ll be posting references and further reading for each video on my blog. I would also recommend the following books: Palaeobotany and the Evolution of Plants, a rather heavy textbook that aims at an academic level. The Greening of Gondwana, a book centred around plant evolution in modern-day Australia and Antarctica, filled with stunning photographs of plant fossils and The Emerald Planet, A complete tour through evolutionary time, focusing on how plants evolved and affected our climate. And finally, a few caveats. Many of the details of the events depicted in the series, such as the cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs, are still disputed by the scientific community. Because this series is aimed at a general audience, I will only be presenting one series of events, usually the majority view. Anyone interested in exploring the controversy should consult the scientific literature. In some cases, small details have been fabricated and educated guesses made to make for a more interesting narrative. Especially in the earlier videos, images of living species are used to illustrate ones that are now extinct, on the basis of visual similarity. With all that in mind, I hope you enjoy the series as much as I have in putting it together.