Question

Write about the sporophyte evolution in Bryophytes.

Answer 1

Hint: The liverworts, hornworts, and mosses together comprise the hypothetical taxonomic division Bryophytes, which includes three non-vascular land plant groups: liverworts, hornworts, and mosses. They are typically small and prefer damp surroundings, however they can thrive in drier ones as well. Bryophytes, which have enclosed reproductive organs, do not produce flowers or seeds (gametangia and sporangia). They reproduce by way of spores.

Complete answer :
The sporogonium is a bryophyte sporophyte with a single terminal sporangium (monosporangiate), a bulbous foot, and an unbranched stalk or seta. The sporogonium is a delicate, short-lived organism that relies on its gametophyte for nourishment.
The development of a diploid zygote within the archegonium’s venter starts the sporophytic phase. The entire zygote participates in the production of the sterile capsule wall and the core sporogenous cells in the simplest form of sporophyte (e.g., Riccia). The zygote differentiates in diverse shapes, and sporogenous cells generate increasingly sterile tissues.
There are two competing theories on how sporophytes evolved in bryophytes:
Gradual evolution theory, i.e., sporophyte evolution through progressive sterilising of potentially sporogenous tissue.
Regressive evolution theory, i.e., sporophyte evolution as a result of increasing reduction or simplification.
The concept that Riccia’s simple sporophyte is an advanced but reduced structure is supported by evidence from comparative morphology and experimental genetics.

Note :
In bryophytes, the sporophyte grows from the zygote. Bryophyte sporophytes frequently lack lateral appendages and are unable to feed themselves. It gets all or part of its sustenance from the parent gametophytes, to which it remains naturally linked for the rest of its life. The production and distribution of spores is the primary function of sporophytes in bryophytes.