For thousands of years, flowering plants have been the backbone of the world’s ecosystems. They have been providing food, shelter, and oxygen to life on Earth for millions of years, and yet, in the last few million years, their diversity has exploded. A new study has found that the flowering plants of today are more diverse than ever before, with over 300,000 species that have evolved in the last million years. This is an incredible evolution from the mere 150,000 species that existed during the Eocene, a time period that lasted from 56 to 34 million years ago.

The study, published in the journal Science, used DNA sequencing, computer modeling, and other techniques to trace the evolution of flowering plants over millions of years. The researchers found that the rate of diversity has increased exponentially over the past million years, with new species rapidly appearing and becoming established in their respective habitats. This rapid diversification has been linked to the establishment of new habitats, increased competition for resources, and other environmental changes. The study also found that the diversity of flowering plants is likely to continue to grow, with even more species becoming established in the future.

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source: Phys.org