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Terrestrial plants of this period lived primarily in wet environments. These early plants reproduced by spores.
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Most plant life consisted of small, soft, marine plants, such as green algae. As terrestrial plants evolved, they cooled the climate and provided oxygen to pave the way for life to flourish on land.
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The first vascular plants evolved during this period.
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The first recognizable soils developed during this time. Plants developed sexual organs for reproduction, stems with vascular tissue, woody tissue for structure, and stomates for respiration.
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Seed plants developed and colonized habitats where spore-producing plants could not flourish. These were gymnosperms: plants that produce seeds located on the leaves or the scales of cones. Gymnosperms, such as primitive conifer trees and ferns, appeared during this period.
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The climate dried, leading to the evolution of advanced conifers. Cycads and ginkgos appeared. Widespread forestation appeared in some regions.
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Seed-bearing plants dominated over all others. Gymnosperms, such as cycads, ginkgos, and conifers, were the most prevalent plants of this period.
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Flowering plants appeared during this period, but they played only a minor role among other plants.
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Angiosperms, plants in which male or female reproductive organs are housed in a flower, proliferated and became the dominant plants. Modern-day trees appeared.
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As the climate cooled, large forests died off, leaving open grasslands. This happened around 30 million years ago, and grasses flourished due to their ability to adapt to dry, arid conditions.
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Grasses evolved during this period leading to the development of vast savanna ecosystems. The proliferation of grasses provided food for large, grazing mammals and protection for small animals such as rodents.