____________ are an ancient group of lower plants that contributed significantly in the creation of fossil fuels.
Pteridophytes
Ferns that died over 200 million years ago, got buried underground and slowly turned to coal under the immense pressure and temperature of the earth. In fact, most of the coal that we use today is largely made up of fossilized pteridophytes from the Carboniferous Period (360 - 286 million year ago).