Question

Which of the following statements about fossil evidence from plants is true (select all that apply): Question 2 options: Sporophytes were branched before the evolution of vascular tissues. In early land plants the gametophytes were branched and complex like the sporophytes. The earliest known fossil beds, the Rhynie Chert, dates to 360 mya. Since fossilized remains are often rock-like, it is only possible to observe large characteristics, not cellular ones.

Answer 1

Answer:

Sporophytes were branched before the evolution of vascular tissues

In early land plants the gametophytes were branched and complex like the sporophytes

Explanation:

The fossil record shows that early land plants appeared in the Ordovician Period, approximately 470 million years ago (Mya). These plants were non-vascular plants (e.g., mosses and liverworts) which can be recognized as fossilized spores. Thus, the first land plants could not transport nutrients like sugar, water, or minerals around the plant. Nowadays, it is believed that early land plants had gametophyte dominant life cycles (haploid life phase), while vascular tissues evolved as an adaptation to life on land, in the sporophyte (diploid life phase).