How plants conquered land: evolution of terrestrial adaptation.

This article focuses on the evolutionary transition of plants from aquatic to terrestrial environments, highlighting the morphological, physiological, and genomic innovations that enabled land colonization and shaped Earth's ecosystems. It discusses how embryophytes (land plants) evolved from streptophyte algae around 500 million years ago, developing adaptations such as multicellularity, specialized organs, and symbiotic relationships with fungi that facilitated nutrient absorption and stress tolerance. Whole-genome duplication events are identified as key drivers of genetic innovation and diversification in major plant lineages, including angiosperms and gymnosperms. Advances in genome sequencing and phylogenomic analyses are transforming the understanding of plant evolution, despite limitations in fossil records, and large-scale projects like the 1KP and Earth BioGenome Project aim to expand genomic knowledge across plant diversity. The article underscores the integral role of land plants in Earth's biogeochemical cycles, climate regulation, and the foundation of terrestrial ecosystems.