Question

Birbal Sahni worked on
A. Algae
B. Fossil plants
C. Angiosperms
D. Bryophytes

Answer 1

Hint: Birbal Sahni FRS was an Indian paleobotanist and was also involved in the fields of archaeology and geology. Paleobotany is a sub branch of botany.

Complete answer:
The process of preservation of living beings or their parts in the form of fossils is called fossilization.
Birbal Sahni is known as the father of Indian palaeobotany. The main contribution is pentoxylon of Jurassic gymnosperms from Rajmahal hills in Bihar.

The essential condition for fossilization is that the whole organism be buried alive soon after death without decay by bacteria fungi etc. This is the reason why only a small number of plants get fossilized.
Second conditions for fossilization are inbox with very cold and acidic water and low ho to supply which stop decay of plants. Fossilization technique by replacement of molecules of the original substance of the plant one by one by the molecules of minerals in the soil solution. This replacement of your due to hydrolysis or weathering of organic substances present in the plant body. The region where sedimentation of your favour fossilization.

Birbal Sahni works are not only confined to fossils. He was able to calculate uplift of mountain ranges based on the equality of the plant process. For example, if a plant grows only a certain altitude but were found as forces at much elaborated height where they could not have grown, this implies a mismatch only which could only be explained by tectonic uplift.

Therefore, the correct answer is option (B) Fossil plants.

Note: The importance of fossil plants is as follows,
i) They help us to gain knowledge about plants which existed hundred to million years ago.
ii) It also helps us to establish a connection between the present plants and plants that have become extinct.
iii) They help us study the conditions which existed millions of years ago.