Current hypotheses suggest that land plants are closely related to brown algae, red algae, chlorophytes, and charophytes, with distinct characteristics such as lignin and alternation of generations that help them thrive in terrestrial environments. Land plants differ from animal and bacterial cells by possessing cell walls made of cellulose, chloroplasts for photosynthesis, and larger vacuoles. Plant cells have unique functions adapted for land survival, unlike algae, which are reliant on aquatic environments.