Question

Which character mostly differentiates angiosperms from gymnosperms?
A. Attractive petals
B. Vessels in xylem
C. Triploid endosperm
D. Seeds enclosed in fruits

Answer 1

Hint: Angiosperms and gymnosperms are two major categories of vascular seed plants. Angiosperms are flowering plants, the largest and most diverse group in the plant kingdom. Gymnosperms are a smaller, older group consisting of plants that produce "naked seeds" (seeds that are not protected by fruits). More than 1,000 gymnosperms are still found on the earth.

Complete Answer:
Angiosperms: The approximately 300,000 flowering plants, are the largest and most diverse group in the plant kingdom. Angiosperms account for about 80% of all known green plants in existence. Angiosperms are vascular seed plants in which ovules (eggs) are fertilized and develop into seeds in a closed hollow ovary. The ovary itself is usually enclosed in a flower, which is part of an angiosperm and contains male or female reproductive organs or both.

Gymnosperms: The flowerless plants that produce cones and seeds. The word gymnosperm literally means "naked seed" because the gymnosperm seeds are not enclosed in the ovary. Instead, they are exposed on the surface of leaf-like structures called sheets. Gymnosperms are vascular plants of sub embryonic plants, including conifers, cycads, ginkgo and ruled plants.

The most well-known examples of these woody shrubs and trees include pine, spruce, fir and ginkgo. Gymnosperms are abundant in temperate forests and boreal forest biomes, and their species can tolerate wet or dry conditions.

Thus, the option (D) is correct.

Note: An Angiosperms and gymnosperms are seed plants. They have the natural ability to produce seeds surrounded by vegetative tissues and coated with seed coats. Like angiosperms, gymnosperms have blood vessels and companion cells. The main difference between angiosperms and gymnosperms is diversity.