SSC
Which group of plants is known as the 'amphibians of the plant kingdom'?
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Answer: Option C — Bryophyta
Detailed Solution
Bryophytes are simple, small, non-vascular plants, such as mosses (for example, Funaria and Sphagnum), liverworts (for example, Marchantia and Riccia) and hornworts (Anthoceros). They are called the "amphibians of the plant kingdom" because, like amphibian animals such as frogs, they can live on land but depend on water to complete their life cycle, especially for sexual reproduction.
Features of bryophytes:
They are found in damp, shady and moist places, such as on wet walls, tree trunks, rocks and soil.
They have no true roots, stems or leaves. They are attached to the ground by thread-like structures called rhizoids.
They have no vascular tissues (xylem and phloem), so they cannot carry water over long distances, and they stay small.
Their male sex organs are called antheridia and the female sex organs archegonia. The male gametes (antherozoids) have flagella and must swim through a film of water to reach the egg. Without water, fertilisation cannot take place.
The main plant body is the gametophyte (haploid), and the sporophyte (diploid) grows on it and depends on it for food.
Bryophytes help in soil formation by breaking down rocks, prevent soil erosion and are among the first plants to grow on bare rocks during ecological succession. Sphagnum moss forms peat, which is used as fuel. Its ability to hold water makes it useful as packing material for transporting live plants.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Pteridophyta, such as ferns, are the first true land plants with vascular tissues; they are called "vascular cryptogams".
- ✗Thallophyta, such as algae, have a simple thallus body and mostly live in water.
- ✗Gymnosperms are seed plants that do not need water for fertilisation.
Quick tip
Remember: Bryophytes = amphibians of the plant kingdom (mosses, liverworts), no vascular tissue, need water for fertilisation; pteridophytes = first vascular land plants (ferns).
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Classification of Living Organisms — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Classification of Living Organisms, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the classification of living things: the five-kingdom system of Whittaker, binomial nomenclature, the scientific names of common plants and animals, the major groups of plants and animals, and the features of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Questions commonly ask who proposed the five-kingdom classification (R. H. Whittaker), who is the father of taxonomy (Carl Linnaeus), and the scientific names of familiar organisms, such as Homo sapiens (humans), Mangifera indica (mango) and Panthera tigris (tiger). Know the key features that separate the animal phyla. Practise the classification of living organisms questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.