Question

In bryophytes, elaters and pseudoelaters are meant for
a. Mechanical strength
b. Nutrition absorption
c. Sap conduction
d. Spore dispersal

Answer 1

Hint: Bryophytes are a group of nonvascular plants that are further divided into 3 groups. Bryophytes mostly preferred to grow in moist areas and they also survive the dry environment too. Some of the examples of the bryophytes are liverworts, hornworts, mosses.

Complete answer:
- Bryophytes are none vascular land plants, even though they are land plants they consist of tissue which specialized for water transport.
- They can grow in various environment such as damp, deserts and high altitudes
- Vascular plants usually depend on roots for the nutrients intake, whereas bryophytes grow even on the rocks.
- Some of the examples of bryophytes are Hornworts and mosses and liverworts.
- Like in embryophytes, the life cycle is present in the bryophytes.
- In the life cycle of bryophytes, the gametophyte is haploid and it contains unpaired chromosomes which fixed in number are altered by diploid saprophytes containing two sets of paired chromosomes.
- Elaters are usually seen in liverwort species, they are the cells that are tube-shaped which have thickening that are in a spiral shape, these are present in the spore capsules and helpful during the spore dispersion.
- Although elaters may be present in some other species it won’t work the same in the all and sometimes they won’t play any role in dispersion.
- Pseudoelaters are present in the species of hornworts when this plants grown longer in order into release the spore they split lengthwise and mature spores will be released, here where pseudoelaters are also present along with them to change the shape of spore and make them survive in case of dry and drought conditions.

Correct option: D. Spore dispersal

Note: Elaters and pseudoelaters are present in the spores so they are helpful in spore dispersion. Elaters and pseudoelaters are sterile cells, where they combine with spores and release into valves, Elaters are usually present in hepaticopsida whereas pseudoelaters are present in Anthocerotopsida.