Describe the important characteristics of gymnosperms.
Explanation Gymnosperms have certain characteristic features that separate them from all other groups of the plant kingdom. The most exclusive feature of gymnosperms is the presence of naked seeds. Other than this there are several more characteristics like: Gymnosperms show a great morphological diversity. They can be trees, shrubs, or lianes. Gymnosperms have typically woody stems and are evergreen plants. They have a tap root system. Some genera form mycorrhizal association while some tend to form coralloid roots. Gymnosperms may or may not have branched stems. The leaves of gymnosperms can resist extreme climatic conditions and exhibit a wide range of morphological diversity. They can simple or compound. The leaves are well adapted to reduce water loss. They have a thick cuticle and sunken stomata. Heterospory is significant in gymnosperms and they produce megaspores and microspores which are haploid. Spores are borne at the axils of specialized leaf-like structures called sporophylls. These sporophylls are arranged on an axis to form a cone or strobilus. Depending on the spores they bear, sporophylls can be megasporophyll or microsporophyll. A strobilus containing megasporophylls is a femalestrobilus while the one with microsporophylls is a male strobilus. Plants may be dioecious or monoecious In gymnosperms, the gametophyte never has an independent existence. Since ovules are borne naked, the seeds that develop after fertilization are also naked. There is an absence of double fertilization and the endosperm is haploid. Final Answer Gymnosperms are members of Spermatophyta. They produce naked seeds. They exhibit a wide range of morphological diversity. They are typically woody and evergreen. They are adapted to withstand extreme conditions. Gymnosperms characteristically have a tap root system. Roots of some genera like Pinusand Cycas often associate with fungus or nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria to form mycorrhiza or coralloid roots respectively. The gametophyte is completely dependent on the sporophyte. Unlike angiosperms, the endosperm of a gymnosperm seed is haploid.
