1. Plants provide the foundation of life by producing oxygen, building soil, holding soil in place, moderating climate, holding water, and providing food, fuel, fiber and drugs for humans. 2. Important adaptations that enabled plants to live on land include developing mechanical strength for support, light-catching leaves, roots for anchoring and obtaining nutrients, stomata and cuticles to control water loss, and methods of reproduction and dispersal on dry land. 3. Major plant groups evolved over time in relationship to environmental changes. Early land plants included lycophytes and horsetails, which were later joined by seed plants including gymnosperms and later angiosperms, allowing colonization of new