NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Moss gametophytes grow in tightly packed clumps, which helps in sexual reproduction. The dispersal of seeds away from the parent decreases the survival rate of the offspring. Pollination occurs when pollen grains from the anthers land on the sticky style of a pistil.

Detailed explanation-2: -Sexual reproduction in mosses depends on exposure to moisture. After maturation, the male sperms swim across to fertilize the egg to produce the brown capsule. Mosses can also reproduce asexually via the process of fragmentation, where a new individual plant grows from part of the parent.

Detailed explanation-3: -Mosses are larger nonvascular plants that have coarser, multicellular rhizoids that are more like roots. They also have tiny, photosynthetic structures similar to leaves that encircle a central stem-like structure. Mosses grow in dense clumps, which help them retain moisture.

Detailed explanation-4: -The sexual phase, called the gametophyte generation, produces gametes, or sex cells, and the asexual phase, or sporophyte generation, produces spores asexually. In terms of chromosomes, the gametophyte is haploid (has a single set of chromosomes), and the sporophyte is diploid (has a double set).

Detailed explanation-5: -Fragmentation is a form of asexual reproduction where a part of the moss can grow to form a new moss. This is used by mosses to help ensure their survival. Not all plants can reproduce from any part of their body, but moss is a great example of a plant with this unique ability.