The composition of the Earth's continents abruptly changed due to the evolution of land plants, according to researchers at the University of Southampton.
Land plants altered the composition of the Earth
(Photo : Prudence Earl/Unsplash)
In collaboration with colleagues from Queen's University Canada, the University of Cambridge, the University of Aberdeen, and the China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, the Southampton research led by Dr. Tom Gernon studied the effects of land plant evolution on Earth's chemical composition over the course of the previous 700 million years, as per ScienceDaily.
Around 430 million years ago, during the Silurian Period, when North America and Europe were connected to form the landmass known as Pangaea, the evolution of terrestrial plants took place.
The emergence of dinosaurs some 200 million years later was made possible by the entire transformation of the biosphere on Earth brought about by the growth of plants in those regions of the planet's surface where life thrives.
According to Dr. Christopher Spencer, assistant professor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and primary author of the study, plants changed river systems fundamentally, resulting in more meandering rivers, muddy floodplains, and thicker soils.
The researchers realized that plate tectonics connects the deep interior of the Earth with its surface because rivers wash mud into the oceans, where it is subsequently dragged to subduction zones in which it melts to form new rocks.
They simply hypothesized that the evolution of plants should significantly slow down the delivery of mud to the oceans and that this feature should be preserved in the rock record, according to Dr. Gernon, Associate Professor of Earth Science at the University of Southampton and co-author of the study.
The scientists examined a database of more than 5,000 zircon crystals generated in magmas at subduction zones to test this theory.
The scientists found strong evidence for a significant change in the continents' underlying geology that occurred almost precisely at the same time as land plants.
Notably, the researchers discovered that, as they had predicted, the chemical properties of zircon crystals formed at this time imply a major slowing down of sediment movement to the oceans.
The scientists demonstrated that vegetation altered not just the Earth's surface but also the dynamics of melting in the mantle.
Also Read: Back From the Dead: 400 Year Old Frozen Plants Revived [VIDEO]
Importance of plants
It is astounding how crucial plants are to ourselves and almost every other living thing on the planet. Without plants, life as we know it would not be conceivable.
What makes plants so crucial?
Almost every terrestrial organism, including humans, gets its sustenance from plants. Either plants or other animals that eat plants are what we eat, as per CK-12.
The atmosphere is maintained by plants. During photosynthesis, they generate oxygen and take in carbon dioxide. All aerobic organisms require oxygen for cellular respiration.
Additionally, it preserves the ozone layer, which aids in shielding life on Earth from harmful UV rays. Global warming and the greenhouse effect are lessened when carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere.
Plants use biogeochemical cycles to recycle matter. For instance, plants transport a significant amount of water from the soil to the atmosphere through transpiration.
In plants like peas, microorganisms that fix nitrogen are present.
All plants can now access nitrogen, which they then transfer to consumers.
Numerous goods for human consumption are produced by plants, including firewood, timber, textiles, pharmaceuticals, dyes, insecticides, oils, and rubber.
Numerous organisms have habitats thanks to plants. Many different species of insects, worms, tiny animals, birds, and reptiles may find food and refuge in a single tree.
Related Article: Study: How Moss Helped in Making the Earth Habitable
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