Question

One character common for Selaginella and fern is
A. Heterospory
B. Protostele
C. Development of sporangium
D. Absence of ovule

Answer 1

Hint: Selaginella is a vascular plant which belongs to the family Selaginellaceae. It is commonly called spike-moss. Ferns are also vascular plants that belong to family Polypodiaceae. They reproduce via spores.

Complete answer:
Selaginella: it is pteridophyte. It is commonly called spike moss. They are mostly present in humid conditions and tropical rainforests. Their plant body is a sporophyte which is differentiated into roots, stems and leaves. Their roots are short lived and as they mature, the roots become adventitious. The leaves of Selaginella are sessile, microphyllous and simple. Selaginella reproduces by vegetative and asexual reproduction. They reproduce sexually by the formation of spores. Spike moss is heterosporous and produces two kinds of spores, microspores in microsporangium and megaspores in megasporangium.
Ferns: it is also a pteridophyte. It is a non-flowering vascular plant that has roots, stem and leaves. They reproduce by spores which are haploid (n). These spores are produced in sporangia on the leaves of the fern. They are mostly homosporous. The rhizomes of fern are thin and creeping, or thick and stocky. They produce roots which take up nutrients from the soil. The life cycle of ferns has two stages, sporophyte and gametophyte. Spores are released in sporophyte and gametes are released in gametophyte. This type of life cycle is called alternations of generation. Ferns are very diverse in habitat. Some examples of fern are black-stick maiden hair, bird’s nest fern, tree fern, fishtail fern.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D).

Note: Pteridophytes are vascular plants. They are seedless and show true alternation of generations. They may be homosporous or heterosporous. There are four classes of pteridophytes: Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Sphenopsida, and Pteropsida.