Life on land presented many challenges to plants that their algal ancestors didn't have to face Describe four of these challenges?

Answer 1

The challenges they faced were obtaining resources from two locations, supporting the plant body, a maintaing moisture, and reproducing on land.

Answer 2

1. Obtainment of nutrients: Land plants had to develop root systems to extract essential nutrients from soil, whereas algae absorbed nutrients directly from water.
2. Desiccation: Land plants needed to evolve specialized structures like cuticles and stomata to prevent dehydration, which algae did not face in their aquatic environment.
3. Reproduction: Plants had to develop strategies for pollination and dispersal of seeds in terrestrial environments, unlike algae, which released spores directly into the water.
4. Gravity: Land plants had to support their structures against gravity using mechanisms like lignin-strengthened cell walls and vascular tissues, a challenge not faced by algae that float in water.