Question

The Bryophytes are usually found in ___________.
A. Damp and Shaded areas
B. Marine habitat
C. Sandy soils
D. Xeric habitat

Answer 1

Hint: Bryophytes need water for fertilisation. These are also called amphibians of the plant kingdom.

Complete answer:
Mosses and liverworts are the example of bryophytes, which are commonly growing in moist shaded areas. They are called amphibians because these plants survive on soil but need water for sexual reproduction.
1. These usually take place in damp, humid, and shaded localities especially in the hilly areas.
The body of bryophytes is haploid and looks thallus-like and prostrate or erect, and attached to the substratum by unicellular or multicellular rhizoids.
2. They also possess roots like, stem-like and leaves like structures but not true roots, stem, or leaves. Bryophytes are called gametophyte because the can produce gametes and their sex organs are multicellular.
3. Antheridium is a male sex organ and archegonium is a female sex organ. Antheridium produces biflagellate antherozoids and archegonium is flask-shaped and produces a single egg. During the process of reproduction, the antherozoids are released into the water and they come in contact with archegonium.
4. After fusion with the egg they produce the zygote but the zygotes do not undergo reduction division immediately instead they produce sporophyte.
5. The sporophyte is gametophyte and derives nourishment from its attachment. Later some cells of the sporophyte undergo meiosis to produce haploid spores.
These spores germinate to produce gametophyte.

Therefore the correct answer is (A) Damp and shaded areas.

Note: The movement of antherozoids towards the egg is due to chemotaxis i.e through a chemical substance called malic acid. This chemical is released in water by archegonium and when antherozoids sense this they swim towards archegonia.