colonization

…has contributed to their successful colonization of more habitats than any other group of land plants. Gymnosperms (the nonflowering seed plants) are only woody plants with a few woody twining vines. There are few herbaceous or aquatic gymnosperms; most gymnosperms do not occur as swampy vegetation or in marine habitats.…

Patterns of colonization and succession can have a significant impact on benthic assemblages. For example, when intertidal reefs are cleared experimentally, the assemblage of organisms that colonize the bare space often reflects the types of larvae available in local waters at the time. Tube worms may dominate…

The methods by which plants are distributed over Earth’s surface are as diverse and complex as the plants themselves. The most widely occurring plants are the small-bodied rapidly reproducing forms whose spores can be carried by wind and water and by birds and other…