Plant roots built beachhead for life on land

Plants ? even relatively small ones ? played a crucial role in establishing a beachhead for life on land, according to recent work by an international team of researchers. The group found that early in the history of Earth?s terrestrial biosphere, a small plant called Drepanophycus, similar to modern club mosses, was already deeply rooted. This kept soils from washing away and even allowed build up as the resilient above-ground parts of the plants caught silt during floods. These plants ? typically a metre long at most ? helped form deep, stable soils where other plants could thrive.
Paleontology News — ScienceDaily