How did plants first move from the oceans to land?

The earliest land plants were amphibians, which need water to reproduce. Members of the Bryophytes group first arose in moist areas and needed moisture for vegetative growth, development, and reproduction. Later, complex root-shoot systems and stellar evolution enabled higher plants to withstand harsh environments. The order of plant evolution from the ocean to higher plants is Bryophtes, Pteridophytes, Gymnosperm, and Angiosperm.

The transition of plants from oceans to land took place gradually over the Ordovician period, some 450 million years ago. It is likely that the earliest plants evolved from aquatic algae and developed adaptations to survive in terrestrial environments. Among these adaptations are the development of structures to support the plant out of the water, like roots for anchorage and water and nutrient absorption, and the evolution of specialized tissues to transport water and nutrients within the plant. Other adaptations include mechanisms to prevent desiccation, like the waxy cuticle covering their surfaces, and the capacity to exchange gases through specialized pores called stomata. These adaptations have allowed plants to thrive on land and have cleared the way for the colonization of other plants.