Question

Roots first originated in
A. Algae
B. Fungi
C. Bryophyta
D. Pteridophyta

Answer 1

Hint:Roots are the descending part of a plant. They originate from the radicle which is the first structure coming from the seed. Roots are normally non-green in color. Moreover, roots have no nodes or internodes present on them.

Complete answer:Root is the part of the plant that usually grows inside the soil. This is because roots are positively geotropic and negative phototropic. Also, roots have endogenous branches which originated from the pericycle layer. The end of the root is protected by a multicellular root cap. Roots are found in the advanced forms of plants.
Algae– They are photosynthetic, oxygenic, green-colored, thalloid plants. This means that their bodies are undifferentiated into stems, roots and leaves. Their bodies are highly variable ranging from unicellular, filamentous, to colonial and multicellular forms.
Fungi– The fungi are the non-green, thalloid, and heterotrophic plants. This means that their bodies are undifferentiated into stems, roots, and leaves. They usually grow on a substratum with the help of hyphae and mycelium.
Bryophyta– They are more developed plants than algae. They are non-vascular. Their bodies are either thalloid (primitive bryophytes) or leafy (advanced bryophytes). This means that their bodies are not differentiated into stems, roots and leaves. They have false stems, leaves, or roots. However, they have root-like structures called rhizoids, stem-like structures called asics or colloids, and leaf-like structures called phylloid. These false roots, stems, and leaves develop from the gametophyte.
Pteridophyta– They are the vascular plants. Their main body is sporophytic. This means that the body is clearly divided into true roots, stems, and leaves.
Thus, based on the above information we can conclude that the roots first originated in the Pteridophyta.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D).

Note: The Pteridophytes are known as vascular amphibians of the plant kingdom. This is because even though their members are terrestrial, they still require water necessarily to complete their life cycle. Therefore, these gametes are flagellated which only fertilize in the water.