Why did not a single species survived to the present, while spore ferns have existed since the devonian and there are over 10 thousand species of them today?
>>5062786I think they actually evolved into multiple modern plant lineages such as Angiosperms. Very few plant or animal groups actually ever went extinct. What most often happens is they transform into modern lineages and a step is missed because it's misidentified in the fossil record and extinction is assumed, when it's just evolutionary progression. Seed Ferns as a group *did* die out though, but they were by no means common by the end of the Cretaceous.
>>5062786Probably had all their niches covered by the angiosperms. Turns out having an extra layer of protection for your ovules is an excellent survival strategy.Conifers only survived by being a key part of biological succession, and cycads and ginkgos all died out except for a handful of extremely hardy species.
>>5064285Conifers are also better adapted for colder weather and being fucking gigantic.
>>5064327That too.
>>5062786Seed fern? I got your seed fern right here!
