Question

Which of the following plant groups is the most abundant on earth?
(A) Ferns
(B) Mosses
(C) Hornworts
(D) Liverworts

Answer 1

Hint: The plant kingdom is classified into Algae, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and angiosperms. Some plants are aquatic and some plants are land plants. Land plants can be classified into three types- Thallophyta, Bryophytes, and Tracheophytes.

Complete answer:
Thallophyta is simple for all plants which are either unicellular or multicellular. They are divided into Algae, fungi, lichens, and bacteria. Bryophytes usually grow in moist, shady, and cold places, they constitute liverworts and mosses. Tracheophytes constitute vascular plants and they are far more abundant. They are also known as amphibians of the plant kingdom, as they can easily survive on both land and water.

Mosses are mostly found in damp, moist areas whereas some prefer deserts, bogs, and streams. The thallus is differentiated into root, stem, leaves. But these parts are not true roots, true leaves but rhizoids are roots like organs, the central axis is stem-like part and leafy appendages are leaf-like organs of gametophores. They are monoecious where the sex organs are produced at the tip of branches in clusters on the same plant. Antheridia will produce gametes, antherozoids will swim in water with the help of flagella.

Mosses do not possess seeds; after fertilization, they stop with single capsules with unbranched stalks that contain spores. They are the most abundant group of plants found on earth.

Hence, the correct answer is Option (B).

Note: Ecologically, Mosses breakdown the exposed substrata, which releases the nutrients for the use of complex plants. They control soil erosion by absorbing water and providing surface cover.