Gymnosperm called as a living fossil is
a. Cycas
b. Gingko
c. Pinus
d. Both a and b
VerifiedHint: Gymnosperms are flowerless plants that make cones and seeds. The term gymnosperm factually means "naked seed," as gymnosperm seeds are not sheathed within an ovary. Somewhat, they sit exposed on the surface of leaf-like structures called bracts. Gymnosperms are profuse in temperate forest and boreal forest biomes with species that can bear moist or dry conditions.
Complete answer:
Unlike angiosperms, gymnosperms do not generate flowers or fruit. They are meant to be the first vascular plants to inhabit land appearing in the Triassic Period around 245-208 million years ago. The growth of a vascular system is competent in transporting water throughout the plant facilitated gymnosperm land colonization. Now, there are over one thousand species of gymnosperms belonging to four main divisions: Coniferophyta, Cycadophyta, Ginkgophyta, and Gnetophyta.
Cycas and Ginkgo are known as living fossils because they have not yet altered over the years while its related members or species have become extinct or fossilized. The living fossil signifies a living unaffected example of an extinct group or genera etc.
Pinus is the largest genus of conifers and the most prevalent genus of trees in the Northern Hemisphere.
Hence, the correct answer is option (D).
Note: The gymnosperms are moderately more prehistoric than the angiosperms in evolutionary terms. Most of the gymnosperms have currently become extinct and the group is at the moment represented by only 900 living species. The living gymnosperms are extensively distributed in the cold climates where snow is the source of water. The Father of the forest and the tallest gymnosperms is Sequoiadendron giganteum.
