Embryophytes are quite simply land plants or terrestrial plant. They include flowers, ferns, trees and mosses along with all other green land plants. The are all complex multicellular (containing more than one cell) eukanyotes (organism whose cells contain complex structures that are inside membranes).This membrane is called the nucleus . The embryophytes have special reproductive organs. They use photosynthesis (light absorption) and they synthesize (make or produce) their own food from carbon dioxide. They are a completely self contained plant that uses everything from nature to survive.
During the Paleozoic era, which was the earliest of three geologic era that occurred between 251 and 542 million years ago the embryophytes developed from green algae. These were the ancestors of the pond weeds and freshwater algae of today and these plants are the best living examples that show how this development occurred. The embryophytes then adapted for life on land. Some of them also became aquatic as a secondary means of existence.
Embroyphytes have metamer which are repeated units of development. They are called metaphytes. Algae do not have this distinction.
From the very beginning there were a few embryophytes that were different in structure and function from the majority.They are small and dependent on the parent species for survival. They remain so for their entire life. They include the brophytes (mosses), The anthocerotophyta ( horn wart) and the marchantiophyta ( liver warts).
During the Silurian era which occurred around 443 million years ago the embroyphytes became better adapted to land. Then they began to spread more during the Devonian era between 259 and 416 years ago. In more recent history, relatively speaking they developed into the plants that we know today.
They became tracheophytes meaning they became vascular type plants. They had developed the ability to transport water throughout the plant. Some do use spores to reproduce while others use seeds. The spore producing tracheophytes depend on factors such as wind and environment to grow while the seed bearers depend more on birds and other wildlife to spread the seeds. Humans of course also spreed the seeds.
There are many groups and sub groups in the embryophytes. There are so many more things that are learned about them each and every day. It is doubtful if embroyphytes will ever stop changing and adapting. As long as the world and nature itself changes so will they.
