Biology · Plant Kingdom · NEET
Pteridophytes are VASCULAR plants. NCERT says they are the first terrestrial plants to possess vascular tissues, xylem and phloem. Xylem carries water and phloem carries food. Bryophytes (mosses, liverworts) do NOT have these tubes, so they are non-vascular. This one difference is the most tested idea for NEET.
Pteridophytes. Algae and bryophytes came earlier in evolution but had no xylem or phloem. Pteridophytes (ferns, horsetails) are the first group where true vascular tissue appears. So the order in evolution is: algae, then bryophytes (non-vascular), then pteridophytes (first vascular).
Yes. NCERT clearly states that pteridophytes include horsetails and ferns. A fern is the most common example. Horsetail means Equisetum. So when a NEET question shows a fern, think pteridophyte.
Yes. The main plant body of a pteridophyte is a sporophyte that is divided into true root, true stem and true leaves. These organs contain well-differentiated vascular tissue. Bryophytes only have root-like, stem-like structures (not true ones), so this is a key NEET difference.
The main visible plant body is a DIPLOID sporophyte (2n). This is the opposite of bryophytes, where the main body is a haploid gametophyte (n). In pteridophytes the small gametophyte (called a prothallus) is separate and short-lived. Remember: in pteridophytes, sporophyte dominates.
Because they were the first plants to grow properly on land with true roots to anchor and vascular tissue to move water up a tall body. Bryophytes are only 'amphibians' that need very moist places. But pteridophytes still need water for fertilisation, so they grow in cool, damp, shady places and cannot spread everywhere.
Match the plant with the kind of life cycle it exhibits: (a) Spirogyra (b) Fern (c) Funaria (d) Cycas. List-II: (i) Dominant diploid sporophyte, highly reduced gametophyte (ii) Dominant haploid free-living gametophyte (iii) Dominant diploid sporophyte alternating with reduced gametophyte called prothallus (iv) Dominant haploid leafy gametophyte with partially dependent sporophyte.
Strobili or cones are found in:
In bryophytes and pteridophytes, transport of male gametes requires:
Try the real previous-year questions from this chapter — each with the answer and a full solution.
Ferns and horsetails (Equisetum). Other NCERT examples are Selaginella, Lycopodium, Salvinia, Psilotum, Dryopteris, Pteris and Adiantum.
Bryophytes are non-vascular (no xylem/phloem) and their dominant body is the haploid gametophyte. Pteridophytes are vascular (have xylem/phloem) and their dominant body is the diploid sporophyte with true roots, stem and leaves.
A sporophyll is a leaf-like structure that bears the sporangia (spore-making sacs). In some pteridophytes many sporophylls group together into compact cones called strobili, as in Selaginella and Equisetum.
Microphylls are small leaves, as in Selaginella. Macrophylls (large leaves) are seen in ferns. Both are the leaves of the pteridophyte sporophyte.
Because their gametophytes need cool, damp, shady places and they still need water for fertilisation. So they cannot spread into dry regions, even though they have vascular tissue.
