this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2026
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Maybe it feels counter-intuitive to some that sharks were there before trees...
But I hope it is intuitive that there was water long before there was soil? Then it's just a small step to realize life in water has had a much longer time to develop.
Mosses were likely already there though
I'm pretty sure they've never thought about what soil actually is and think it's just been around forever since it's just dirt.
Who are these people?
Or at least lichens.
Link
That's debatable, most sources estimate mosses to have been there before lichens.
Mosses are true plants and have leaves with chlorophyll though! Way more interesting in the context of there being trees or not. Lichens are just scabs on a rock.
Um say what? Lichens are a complex composite life form that is a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an algae or cyanobacterium. Scabs on a rock! The disrespect!
Obnoxious creatures they are, always trying to take the shine from mosses. Mosses don't need symbiosis because they're perfectly able to survive harsh conditions by themselves. There's been hardly a need to change their perfect designs for millions of years.
Lichens are just the result of symbiotic relationships formed whenever fungi and algae or cyanobacteria feel like doing it. They're a promiscuous lot. Promiscuous scabs on a rock.
TIL humans are technically lichens.
We are more of a symbiont than we like to admit with more than half of our cells being non-human.
Next step is to find a suitable photobiont and go find a rock to lie on