Question

What is the great evolutionary advancement of Angiosperms? Flowers and fruits. Flowers and fruits made co-evolutionary relationships possible with other species. (Gymnosperms have co-evolved with mycorrhizal fungi but we haven't discussed fungi - so we'll stick to Angiosperms.) What are the other species/groups that have co-evolved with Angiosperms and how have they influenced the evolution of flowers and fruits? How have flowers/fruits and those co-evolutionary relationships assisted in the adaptive radiation of Angiosperms and given them an evolutionary advantage over Gymnosperms?

Answer 1

1.The greatest evolutionary advancement of the angiosperms is the flowers and fruits.The presence of these helped the angiosperms

The fruits and the seeds helped them to provide nutrition to the developing embryo and rthereby ensured its survival

Their potential to use the animals around them to carry their genetic material and disperse the fruits and seeds has allowed them to occupy and dominate much of the world's vegetation.

2.The other species that co evolved with the angiosperms are the pollinators and the dispersers .

As angiosperms evolved in the Cretaceous period,almost along the same time the modren insects also appeared, including pollinating insects.The flowers flowers and their pollinators coevolved so as to benefit each other

pollens, seeds, fruits also act as agents of dispersal. Some are carried away by the wind and water. Some attract animals that will eat the fruit and pass the seeds through their digestive systems, then deposit the seeds in another location and some may even hook on the fur of the animals.

3.The presence of the flowers,seeds and fruits and the coevolution with the pollinators has given the angiosperms major advantages.These mechanisms allowed the angiosperms to expand the geographic reach of the angiosperms through the dispersers. The protective seeds and fruits promoted the viability chances of the angiosperms and made them the dominant species.The origin of different pollinators that carried the pollen aided in the reproductive success.This factors gave them an evolutionary advantage