Question

Bryophytes are dependent on water bodies
a. Archegonium has to remain filled with water for fertilization.
b. Water is essential for fertilization for homosporous nature.
c. Water is essential for their vegetative propagation.
d. The sperms can easily reach up to the egg in the archegonium.

Answer 1

Hint: Bryophytes include non-vascular plants of kingdom Plantae. They can be monoecious bryophytes or dioecious bryophytes. In dioecious bryophytes, the antheridia and archegonia are present in different plants and male gametes need to be transferred to the female gametes for fusion. Water helps in their transportation.

Complete answer:
Bryophytes are the type of plants which includes non-vascular land plants (embryophytes), the liverworts, hornworts and mosses. They are mostly found in moist habitats but they can also survive in drier environments. They produce enclosed reproductive structures, but they do not produce flowers and seeds. The reproduction occurs through spores. These are usually considered as paraphyletic groups.

The Bryophytes have constant arrangement of antheridia and archegonia. They are known as amphibian plants because their vegetative phase occurs on land but water is necessary for their reproductive phase.

The reproduction takes place in water. The male gametes are motile but require water to reach the female gamete. It helps in maturation and dehiscence of sex organs in bryophytes. Water also helps to transfer sperms to archegonium that makes water essential for completion of the life cycle of bryophytes.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D).

Note: The life cycle of Bryophytes is dominant by the gametophyte stage. They have un-branched sporophytes and do not have vascular tissues containing lignin. There can be a wide range of habitats. They do not depend on roots like other land plants for an uptake of nutrients from soil. They can survive in rocks and bare soil. They have life cycles with alterations of generations.