Devonian of Scotland: One of the earliest known terrestrial ecosystems is from the area of Scotland near Rhynie, where beautifully preserved fossils have been found in Rhynie cherts. This palaeoenvironmental reconstruction is approx 400 million years ago. There were geysers, with water runoffs. Along the fringes of the runoffs and ponds there were bacterial mats (which I have painted in reddish/pinkish colours). The first terrestrial plants were small and here I've shown Horneophyton lignieri (Horneophytopsida) which grew approx 20cm high. Occasionally hot silicated water from the geysers would flood the area, coating, killing and preserving the life-forms. They would be covered with whitish silicated material (sinter). In the extreme foreground is a pair of springtails (Collembola: Ryniella praecursor). These were only between 1-2mm in length. Behind this an extinct arachnid, trigonotarbid (Palaeocharinus rhyniensis), approx 5mm long, is about to attack another collembola. This is the first known terrestrial ecosystem and already there are carnivorea and saprophagous animals (living off dead organic, particularly plant, matter). It is possible that collembolas were responsible for producing the first soil.