Pteridophyte Structural Features · NCERT Biology

Why is the spread of living pteridophytes limited and restricted to narrow geographical regions?

  1. The mature sporophytes cannot tolerate high light intensity for long.
  2. The gametophytes require water for fertilization and cool, damp places to grow.
  3. They lack the vascular tissues needed to transport water over long distances.
  4. They reproduce solely through slow vegetative fragmentation of the thallus.
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Correct answer: The gametophytes require water for fertilization and cool, damp places to grow.

The prothallus needs moist and shady conditions to survive, and more importantly, water is essential for the flagellated antherozoids to reach the archegonia for fertilization. This dual requirement restricts their ecological distribution.

Difficulty: Medium Question 7 of 20

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