Which of the following plants would have succeeded in colonizing the land early in earth’s history and become an ancestor of modern plants? choose two answers. a. a plant that produced flowers and seeds on tall stalks b. a plant that grew close to the ground in a damp location c. a plant that could reproduce without standing water d. a plant that dried out quickly in the sun

B. a plant that grew close to the ground in a damp location.

C. a plant that dried out quickly in the sun.

In the history of earth through palentological evidences of fossilized plants it has been proved that land plants are evolved from aquatic plants. The example of these simple primitive plants includes bryophytes like hornworts, liverworts and mosses. The bryophytes undergone several adaptations to develop into modern plants like angiosperms and gymnosperms.

These plants used to grow on damp location because they lack true root and vascular system which are necessary to derive  dissolved water and nutrients from the soil.Therefore, the already wet location was useful to acquire water in those primitive plants.

These primitive plants dried out quickly in the sun because they had not developed adaptations like stomata (pores allows water and gases exchange) and wax coating on stems and leaves both of these features prevents loss of water due to transpiration (process of loss of water from plant) and keep plant hydrated. These two features were absent in primitive plants hence, they dried out.