Evolution and Speciation in Plants

Plants are autotrophs and sessile, while animals are heterotrophs and motile. Sessility has imposed on plants 94% hermaphroditism, 23% selfing, 3% polyploidization and 39% clonality, in comparison to 19 and < 1% are pollinated by fast flying animals, wind and water, respectively. Increasing pollen load enhances fruit- and seed-set. In contrast to animals, the life cycle of plants is direct but complicated. Unlike animals, plants have greatly contributed to weathering of rocks and the atmospheric gas composition during the geological past. From dormant spores and seeds of plants, life can be restored after thousands of years.