How Did Plants Evolve?: Crash Course Botany #6

“You shouldn’t make decisions when you’re hungry.” Tell that to the cell that ate a bacterium 1.5 billion years ago and set in motion the evolution of all plants on Earth. In this episode of Crash Course Botany, we’ll explore how plants came to exist, the forces that drive plant evolution, and how we know what Earth’s prehistoric dystopia was like before plants came along. Chapters: A World Without Plants 00:00 Plants’ Origin Story 1:09 Defining Evolution 3:06 The Five Forces of Evolution 5:15 Studying Plant Evolution 10:01 Plants’ Evolutionary History 11:04 Review & Credits 13:54 Sources: *** Crash Course is on Patreon! You can support us directly by signing up at Thanks to the following patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever: David Fanska, Andre