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Biogeochemistry

Marine sediments track the spread of early land plants

Nature Ecology & Evolution (2026)Cite this article

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An analysis of sediment chemical ratios suggests that the terrestrialization of plants occurred by the Late Ordovician epoch, an event that had profound consequences for Earth’s biogeochemical cycling.

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Fig. 1: Palaeogeographic dispersal of early land plants during the Middle to Late Ordovician.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geosciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Thomas J. Algeo

  2. State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes (GMEC), School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China

    Thomas J. Algeo

  3. State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, China

    Thomas J. Algeo

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  1. Thomas J. Algeo
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Correspondence to Thomas J. Algeo.

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Algeo, T.J. Marine sediments track the spread of early land plants. Nat Ecol Evol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-02988-5

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