The Remarkable Mystery of Land Plants

[@journeytomicro]

This episode is sponsored by Wren, a website where you calculate your carbon footprint. Sign up to make a monthly contribution to offset your carbon footprint or support rainforest protection projects: www.wren.co/start/journeytothemicrocosmos

[@aleister8665]

What microscope do you use, mine doesn't look that good, also what camera did you use

[@Webfra14]

Wren: "That's a nice carbon footprint you got there, would be a shame if you didn't pay us to offset it..."

[@thesilentone4024]

You should study some extreme cells or some extreme plant life. So don't forget mushrooms where the first on land and made the rock into food. Hell mushrooms use to get 10 and more feet tall.

[@williandalsoto806]

GTFO with the Wren talk, Hank.

[@PeterVJaspersFayer]

Many people in comments below are complaining about the slow delivery. Pay them no mind. They're probably new here. They don't know you're just following Hank's lead. Don't worry, they'll catch on - Or they won't, in which case, let them "vote with their feet". The remaining 600K+ of us won't miss them. The fact that you don't hear from those of us who *DO* like the pace, is that we've been subscribers for years, and have come to enjoy it, and *expect* it. Besides, it gives us more time to enjoy the wonderful images. (Thank you, James!)

[@Pongant]

As a biologist who did his Master's during the pandemic, I thank you whole-heartedly for these videos. They help stay in contact to my passion (biodiversity) while also swimming on the job market. Thank you!

[@mafarmerga]

I know that Zygnema is phylogenetically closest to the plants, but my money is still on Coleochaete!

[@unhappyman100]

So can you tell me what a woman is?

[@mafarmerga]

@@unhappyman100 "So can you tell me what a woman is?" Legally there is no definition of "woman" that does not have some biological exceptions. Someone with CAES is XY but develops as a woman. Someone with Klinefeltters Syndrome has a penis but develops as a woman. The default condition in mammals is female (that is why men have nipples). So while it might seem straightforward, no, I cannot tell you with 100% certainty what a woman is.

[@megdavis723]

Great but I love to fall asleep to hank

[@terryenby2304]

The only negative to such a calming show is that I struggle to stay awake when I’m relaxed… Must. Watch. Interesting. Information. No. Naps!

[@nickdee5764]

That’s their game, boost that view count lol

[@SathReacts]

1.25x speeding it makes it less snooze

[@terryenby2304]

@@SathReacts but then I don’t enjoy the ambiance as much… also, just woke up from my nap 🤣

[@Pharylon]

This is my go-to series before bed

[@A.C._Taylor]

Plants, as well as algae and fungi have a symbiotic relationship. Perhaps the fungi began to colonize the land first and the algae subsequently followed the fungi. Interesting and thought provoking subject none the less.

[@casualsatanist5808]

Pretty sure fungi were the first organisms to colonize land far away from rivers and lakes. Fungi are basically responsible for the creation of dirt. Fungi today are incredibly important symbionts of about 90% of land plants. I love Fungi :)

[@SMSV621]

@@casualsatanist5808 yeah that’s what I heard too, that Fungi was basically the catalyst to land plant evolution. That they’d eat minerals from rocks and pond/river algae had the water. The fungi gets nutrients from the algae, and the algae gets complex minerals it would have never gotten before, allowing it to further adapt to the environment

[@casualsatanist5808]

@@SMSV621 ye, its absolutely fascinating reading about geology.

[@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana]

There were really big lichens before the big plants. There are still some plant-looking lichens in polar regions. That possibly means the cooler planets have very plant looking lichens in place of plants.

[@casualsatanist5808]

@@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana The genus was Prototaxites i think.

[@rickinielsen1]

Would it not make more sense that the algae developed slowly in tidal areas? Starting by slowly developing resistance to UV and periodically drying out, would mean it could survive in tidal pools etc. That would then lead to being able to survive on surfaces only flooded during high tide, to surfaces only covered by spray, to eventually on land. This way it would be one species’ gradual change to adapt to a niche where others could not survive, rather than some special circumstance.

[@zacrintoul]

Only saline edge environments are much harsher than fresh water. And to move onto land you have to use freshwater from the ground and rain/fog. But translate your idea over to a freshwater pond on a foggy mountain side that has an inconsistent water level you might have a winner.

[@suelane3628]

Mosses and Liverworts start their lives looking like algae. In Liverworts this is followed by strap like or lobed phase which resemble a prostrate seaweed. (Though leafy liverworts resemble mosses.) Mosses and liverworts are called Bryophytes or Seaweed Plants. The embryo is formed on the upper surface leading to a stalk and spore bearing structure. I am guessing this would have been enough to distribute the spores better than spores forming directly on the plant. This is part of the Alternation of Generations which seems to be largely ignored today.

[@LuisAldamiz]

As gardener I approve: stomata are neglected key features of our friendly green beings.

[@whitb62]

Don’t leave off the hornworts on bryophytes! Just found some for the first time. Beautiful plants!

[@nathanlevesque7812]

huh?

[@W4VDragon]

@@nathanlevesque7812 hornworts (Anthocerotophyta) belong to the "bryophyte" grouping too. The gametophytes are thalloid plants and basically look like a flat translucent green mass. They're unusual among bryophytes because they have special "slime cavities" for symbiotic bacteria to live in and have one giant chloroplast per cell. The sporophyte is strange because it looks like an upright thread or a "horn", is long lived and can photosynthesize. I've seen information that in fact hornworts are more closely related to tracheophytes than other bryophytes, but I'm not sure if it is true. Regardless they're very interesting plants. They are found everywhere around the world except Antarctica but often to unnoticed because the smallest members are about 1 cm in diameter

[@skrimper]

Love hornwort, been growing it for years

[@darshanshukla3526]

My project research topic is hornworts and I loved it...😊

[@nathanlevesque7812]

Perhaps early land plants survived dessication through cryptobiosis and became increasingly adept at maintaining normal functions as water levels decreased. Then they could progress to a state where dessication is almost a nonissue, and cryptobiosis is supplanted by a milder, nutrient-storage focused set of adaptations.

[@BigNWide]

Many mosses and liverworts do exactly that.

[@hy-longcat]

maybe the early streptophytes lived in tidal pools, or shallow waters, where they might be exposed to air or water at any moment, and fundamentally had an ability to handle both, before colonising land?

[@LarkSS]

Glad to see you taking feedback toward your narration seriously Deboki! Your tone is much more relaxing, and I like the slower pace. I'd say just a tad faster would be great. I feel the best style would be like you're reading a bedtime story to a child - you want to go fast and energetic enough to keep interest, but slow and calm enough to allow them to stay relaxed. Once you find that perfect balance, I'm confident your voice over quality will go up to the next level. Keep at it! And thank you for the excellent writing.

[@NotKumiYeou]

i had a professor who's a paleobotanist. he told me that it's likely plants developed from those algae mats that form terrestrially in high humidity and rainfall zones and developed into superorganisms that looked like thalloid liverworts, which would make sense since liverworts are the most primitive true plants that still survive today that we know of. it's also believed that bryophytes don't have true stomata since stomata developed in the transition phase between advanced moss-like bryophytes and pteridophytes, such as from the now extinct cooksonia plants.

[@BigNWide]

Mosses have stomata, but only on their sporophyte stage. Hornworts also have stomata on their sporophytes. The only embryophytes that lack stomata are liverworts and those aquatic plants that have lost them through adapting to an aquatic environment.

[@kavyaarun401]

Please don't stop making your videos, you keep me sane :)

[@FrankBoston]

It's amazing how I went from not caring much about plants, to being fascinated by them. It all began accidentally when I found a fossil (pecopteris) that turned out to be ~300 million years old. Now, I have hundreds of them. They all fascinate me.

[@TMtheScratcher]

My theory is, that the transition from water to land in plants happened in a pond which was flooded and dried out on a daily basis, so the plants there had to adapt just a temporary survival outside of water. After these properties were well established, the adaption to longer dry periods up to relying just on rain and groundwater instead of floods were probably the next thing.

[@obieobrien5883]

Food, magnified, is fascinating. How about looking at the wing of a moth, and each part of the wing?

[@zrszrs2405]

You eat moths?

[@glidershower]

Also, lots of folks are claiming the narration is a tad slow so x1.25 speed makes it sound better paced, and I agree. I like the voice and tone of her, she just needs a little faster pacing. Great video as always, tho.

[@gsgatlin]

I grateful we live in a world of such diverse plants in the microcosmos.

[@Qwitty96]

at 1.5 speed i find it quite more pleasant to watch.

[@luckyshadowtux]

Usually I don't mind the slow pace, because there is so much going on visually. But plants are definitely less "active"

[@amajstc]

I saw this title and thought it would be a PBS Eons episode. But I love the perspective that microcosmos gives to the topic!

[@whatabouttheearth]

It's the same media company owned by the team that does this, Crash Course, Sci Show, PBS Eons etc. Hank Green does the narration on most of the shows (I don't know their relationship to PBS Aeons but they do that also), so he's also a co owner, the idea was to make a science video media company that's not bullshit

[@rickseiden1]

Great! An algae had more impact on the world than I will! :P

[@MrTweetyhack]

You make a great point. This plant landed in a pond. Ponds often dry up and this plant evolved to be able to survive when the pond is dry.

[@whatabouttheearth]

People, you can change the audio track language from English to Spanish, but the Spanish is an odd voice. It's a development with great potential, just not perfected yet

[@rynocalitz3292]

Her speech sounds so much more natural at x1.25 speed, I was feeling frustrated with how slow "she was speaking," but I imagine you changed it on purpose to make it more accessible or something? Your channel of course, but I prefer the original speed for what it's worth unless I assumed wrong. That's not worth criticizing though, just wanted to mention, thank you!

[@Goodking6378]

it almost feels like its an ai voice, theres a weird cutting to it

[@jared_bowden]

Interesting. The slow speech is part of the vibe this channel has as an original stated goal. Usually I get annoyed by "x1.25 is better" type comments, but after listening at x1.25 speed...I genuinely can't tell which was the original speed of audio. Chakravarti has a very nice-sounding voice and I don't mind the slow narration, but it is weird that you can't tell if that was the original speed or not.

[@theclipreaper]

watched it at 1.25x speed for it to seem right

[@WAMTAT]

Truly beautiful and informative. Brilliant work

[@bluesmanshoes]

Big thanks for the scale bars!!

[@NewMessage]

Would love to see more about bryophytes.

[@bryantlinthicum7919]

this shit dropped RIGHT after my Fundamentals for Biology Majors II class had its lecture exam on the diversification and evolution of plants

[@skrimper]

Wow, the Stomata at 6:48 look very inappropriate. That's crazy 🤣

[@baraskparas9559]

One possible reason liverworts lost or never evolved stomata is simply that they cannot afford any transpiration of water out to the environment. This is probably a consequence of their rhizoids being small and not suited to large scale absorption of water from the environment. Therefore stomata are probably an evolution of taller tracheophytes with larger root systems living in dryer environments.

[@BigNWide]

Many mosses and liverworts do have conducting tissues. The tissues are probably controlled by the same genes, and in mosses they are structurally the same as those of vascular plants, so they are likely homologous. The difference is that tracheophyte vascular tissue contains lignin. Some of the earliest fossil "tracheophytes" have had to be reclassified because it turned out their vascular tissue did not contain lignin. The separation of the basis of vascular tissue is an old distinction made when most botanists knew little about mosses and liverworts, and did not bother to study them. A better distinction is that bryophytes produce an unbranching sporophyte with a single spore capsule, and vascular plant sporophytes branch and produce many spore capsules. There are also a LOT of evolutionary adaptations in bryophytes for living on land that vascular plants lack, including proteins that protect the DNA during drying. The bryologists have lots of information about the transition to land that have not made it into the textbooks. Botanists who only know vascular plants are mostly unaware of this information, and therefore are puzzled about the transition to land. Ask a bryologist, and you'll have a lot more information.

[@Biophile23]

Aaand thank you for filling me in on the fact that what I learned in my botany class and what I've been teaching up until now is wrong (at least with regards to the origin of stomata) Ahh the beauty of liverwort air pores being a transitional structure was just not meant to be. It's pretty unusual for a presumed paraphyletic group to then be resolved as monophyletic though. Fascinating. I'll be distracted for the next few hours reading papers on the subject ... starting with: Phylogenomic Evidence for the Monophyly of Bryophytes and the Reductive Evolution of Stomata

[@bentufte7774]

Would you do an episode on myxozoans? They're so weird they could make a couple of really fascinating episodes :)

[@OleOlson]

I like Hanks narration better

[@mortezalotfi8394]

Where is the previous narrator? He was something

[@chiknsld3856]

loved this video, thanks!

[@salt-emoji]

Is the narrator the same voice for animalogic? Love both channels!

[@Sparks.u]

I love the episodes where where you feature especially!!

[@NancyLebovitz]

Perhaps Streptophyte (sp?) algae got started on tide flats. They could adapt to living in air a little at a time.

[@mafarmerga]

Coleochaete! I still think it is the best model for the transition to land!

[@JuanFlores-rj1he]

Gracias por la versión en Español! Me encata!

[@b43xoit]

The singular is "alga".

[@ericpowell96]

My favorite narrator

[@nostalgicshark3]

Such a good channel, always been fascinated by the micro. I was wondering can anyone recommend books from the beginner to the expert on microscopes and this hobby? Are there any other KZbin channels like this one? Iam new and want to dive into this world. Thanks in advance for anyones help.

[@duhduhvesta]

Thank you

[@brendakrieger7000]

Endlessly fascinating🔬🦠

[@theojf1985]

Beautiful article. Well written, well delivered.

[@lyleblue6739]

So that first fish that climbed onto land, was only able to do so because this algae did it first aeons earlier

[@LuisAldamiz]

And the insects. It was almost certainly carnivore.

[@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana]

Fish would have climbed onto land way before plants arrived. They are cold blooded, so sunbasking like crocodiles is a good way to make themselves more energy efficient and there was no great risk of being eaten with tetrapods not existing.

[@LuisAldamiz]

@@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana - But they didn't. AFAIK the order is plants, insects, vertebrates (each needs the former, plants need nothing but sun, air, water and some minerals).

[@limiv5272]

@@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana I think they mean a more permanent stay, not just a quick sunbath

[@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana]

@@limiv5272 But the first fish to do that would already be comfortable on land.

[@hannahbrown2728]

As intially confusing as it is first to hear someone else, some part of me imagine Hank appreciates a break from even a bit of voice over work

[@ulkairvillan3219]

This valley girl upspeak is so damn irritating. Everyone knows this accent is associated with being dumb.

[@mosiacmaniacswarm]

⁠@@ulkairvillan3219everyone knows someone who assumes someones intellegence off their accent is very, very stupid.

[@Sidsidsids]

I love the moss cells. Great narration! I enjoy learning more about plants especially water plants.

[@vincentjames1107]

Would you perhaps be willing to to a video on the interaction of fungi and algae or plants? Yes, like lichen. But if there are any other examples as well. Perhaps I'm misremembering but I heard there was a theory that some characteristics of modern plants have possibly been acquired through horizontal gene transfer from fungi in the past

[@snowkracker]

I only watch because I like Hank narrating tbh

[@misseclipse7415]

first -- ayy I love this stuff. Ive always loved the new music its so chill

[@vanderkarl3927]

What stomata with ya?

[@abelhapedras]

This narrator's voice is so smooth and nice to listen to! Thank you for another great video.

[@CookingWithCows]

Who would have thunk.. from the sea to making electronics.. LG is great.

[@FerrilSamal]

Can you talk about the role of fungi in colonization of land by plants

[@krinkrin5982]

I think this is the first video I've ever watched at 1,5 speed. The presentation was really good otherwise.

[@DarkMoonDroid]

ikr?

[@rochrich1223]

Surprisingly early, plants made associations with fungi. Perhaps this was the super-power that allowed the plants to live on land. Mycorrhizal fungi might make a good episode, with it's penetrating under the cell wall of roots to trade minerals for sugars. Exploring new soil to boldly go where no plant has gone before!

[@DEATHINATOR123]

A bit too slow on narration, miss the old narrator guy - still a cool video otherwise don't forget the hornworms and bryophytes!

[@mafarmerga]

For the record I do not know of a single marine algal lineage that made its way onto land. All land plants are descended from freshwater green algae, not marine algae.

[@Babycosmonaut]

Have you guys done anything on face mites or any human microbiome?

[@tedlakomy950]

It sounds and feels like someone reading a bedtime story to a 3 year old.

[@Sqk.]

wheres hank

[@VincentFischer]

Where's Hank?

[@peasant8246]

This video is much better at x1.25 speed.

[@officialspaceefrain]

Agreed. Sounds condescending. 😅

[@limiv5272]

But then there isn't as much time to look at the pretty cells. I'm good with the slow pace

[@ketoonkratom]

Love One Another God Bless Everyone:)

[@jebus6kryst]

The better host is on today. I wish she was the only host.

[@CircusSized13]

It’s like listening in half speed.

[@edweinb]

New word of the day: clade.

[@Sigmaairav]

Could this algae be used to seed other planets with future plant life development?

[@jonathanleonard1152]

Good voice, Deboki. Something is different about this voice. Or maybe this was all inevitable, or some scenario similar to what looks like happened in our past was actually planned. It all happened and did so in good order with minimum waste and here and there minimum time.

[@jansenart0]

Did anyone else have to up the playback speed to make this listenable?

[@PeterVJaspersFayer]

@6:17 - 6:26 --- Hello Daphnia! (What's stuck on your back-end? Are you OK?)

[@shxdo3712]

LAND PLANTS

[@0xva]

Since when does youtube allow multiple audio tracks??? :O

[@brianedwards7142]

Yes! we have no stomata. We have no stomata today....

[@joezuccarello2360]

Algae versus alga (plural/singular), not the same word sounds odd when used incorrectly

[@ericswann1417]

Oh, you phycologists! :)

[@edgardocerda4045]

I thought this was going to be a video about Messi's evolution (the footfall player)

[@chesthoIe]

Lionel Messi was first formed when a magnet was wrapped around a wire that was wrapped around a football, in his dad's magnet factory in Rosario, Santa Fe. His parents repeated the experiments, resulting in Rodrigo and Matías, and shared this secret with their siblings, resulting in Maximiliano and Emanuel Biancucchi, though the Lionel experiment was found to be the best.

[@sarahtravenick3086]

This narrator sounds like every word has a question mark after it lol

[@Restilia_ch]

That massive shared history of land plants is very obvious when you watch them go from seed to plant. They all have the same first two leaves. It's only later leaves that are unique to the plant species.

[@LanceofDragoons123]

Well, not quite! There’s a large swathe of plants (grasses, orchids, corn) called monocots, which only have one leaf when first sprouting. You’re taking about dicots, which have two after first germinating. In truth, there are countless differences between even germination requirements between members of either group. There’s a lot more to it than meets the eye!

[@rangerrick5660]

What happened to the dude?

[@LimeyLassen]

I like the narration on this one.

[@coollobsterr]

Hi, Is your microscope capable enough to make a video of the bacteria colonies in the belly of vulture bees?

[@brianedwards7142]

That "plant" climbing up the corner of my room is liable to be mildew. Just saying.

[@Vistico93]

Never underestimate the evolutionary power of being first :-)

[@brianedwards7142]

You say stomata and I say stomata, let's call the whole thing off.

[@darrenkrivit6854]

So many things had to occur to get life evolving to it's present state, it's amazing to be here now contemplating that 😀✌️

[@ambassadorofpeboiv5366]

For some reason this episode is in Spanish for me and I have no idea why and nobody else is acknowledging it and I feel like I’m going insane

[@darshanshukla3526]

In bryophytes you missed Hornworts....😊

[@TheInselaffen]

Lyund plyunts?

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

"Decided to do without it" it's often risky to talk about evolution in that way, leaving room for design and choice, but in the end questioning inevitability and how hindsight is convenient is a great way to describe evolution 😁 Great vid!

[@gregoryfenn1462]

It’s just a metaphor

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

@@gregoryfenn1462 yes, to the informed, it's a metaphor. To the uninformed, they might take it as evidence that evolution has direction/intent. Remembering to consider the potential perspectives of others can nip misunderstanding in the bud :)

[@MutohMech]

@@TragoudistrosMPH evolution has direction, just not conscious intent. The direction is determined by being able to survive natural selection

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

@@MutohMech agreed :)

[@benjamminholmes]

Please help me to further the science of this topic. I'm a plant and soil scientist. I would love to see the sea more.

[@alexanderx33]

This sounds natural at 1.25x to 1.5x...

[@MrTweetyhack]

evolution is always messy. many fail, some cope, few thrive.

[@markdomen]

Great episode as always, nevertheless I didn't like the Spanish robo translation that came out automatically, if you pretend to gain more Spanish viewers it would be great to get a person to do this job.

[@countfrankfritter]

As far as the climate change issue is concerned, I have no doubt whatsoever that humans are contributing to hastening the process. However I must state, our little blob of rock has been subject to climate change since the beginning. The question is weather we can evolve fast enough in order to survive? Great video by the way.🍀

[@jared_bowden]

Yes and no. While the climate of the planet has changed before, I don't believe it's ever changed at the current rate except for maybe when that rock hit Earth a while back. It's not really the average climate that can do damage, but dramatic changes - For example, the Earth was way, way warmer back when the dinosaurs were around but life flourished because for the most part it wasn't rapidly changing. Regardless, animals can only evolve to events if the events happens at a relatively slow rate.

[@countfrankfritter]

@@jared_bowden Thanks for the reply Jared. my statement regarding our ability to evolve fast enough was made in sarcasm directed at our collective human intelligence void.😊

[@whatabouttheearth]

😂 we know humans are causing it because the predominant modern levels of carbon greenhouse gasses are of the type of carbon isotope that is not as predominantly abundantly released naturally, but it is the predominant carbon isotope of the fossilized Carboniferous Period flora

[@Hyszy]

I liked the male voice over better, but the content is still top notch! Looks so sharp and vivid.

[@jeffreyschweitzer8289]

The singular of “algae” is “alga”

[@LuisAldamiz]

In doubt, stick to the Latin form. Hence octopi.

[@mostlyokay]

@@LuisAldamiz Uh oh. "Octopus" is greek. The "correct" plural form is supposedly "octopodes". But of course, usage trumps "correctness" every time.

[@LuisAldamiz]

@@mostlyokay Fair enough, I was being humorous because I'm pretty sure that I've been told before that the plural of octopus is octopussy ;p Or rather, more seriously, Wikitionary, citing other dictionaries, suggests that the most common plural is "octopuses" but that (by some sources but not others) "octopi" and "octopodes" are also in use.

[@mostlyokay]

@@LuisAldamiz Ah, the shortcomings of intonation- and body-language-free communication! I was too quick to assume you were being a pedant (and a wrong one at that) - o how the turntables!

[@LuisAldamiz]

@@mostlyokay - Fair enough, I guess. No offense meant, no offense taken.

[@moosehorse9972]

WAIT WHERE'S THE DUDES VOICE WHATATATATATATTATATATATA