Phylum Round 1
Lycopodiophyta vs Picozoa
Lycopodiophyta
Picozoa
Club Mosses vs Really Tiny Algae
Lycopodiophyta or Lycophyta (club mosses and spike mosses): Moss imposters, these are vascular plants with xylem, and with a dominant sporophyte generation, not a dominant gametophyte generation. The earliest club mosses evolved 410 million years ago. They like tropical mountains and temperate forests. Some species can grow up to three meters (ten feet) tall. Some species live underground as gametophytes and rely on symbiotic fungi for nutrients.
Picozoa: An entirely new type of algae, not discovered until 2007, due to being small enough to slip through three-micron filters designed to separate out bacteria. They don't seem to have plastids, and they do seem to eat things. In spite of the name, and those very unusual characteristics for a plant, they are classified in archaeplastida and therefor are plants if red algae are. More reading here.
