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Identify the pair of heterosporous pteridophytes among the following:
Majority of pteridophytes are homosporous. The classic heterosporous genera highlighted in NCERT are Selaginella and Salvinia (along with Marsilea and Azolla). Look for the "Double S" pair for an instant 5-second answer!
Heterospory is the condition of producing two morphologically distinct types of spores differing in size and sexual differentiation:
Pteridophytes are classified based on spore type as follows:
The retention of the megaspore within the megasporangium on the parent sporophyte in heterosporous pteridophytes like Selaginella and Salvinia represents the crucial evolutionary precursor to the seed habit in spermatophytes.
Diagnose every choice: Know exactly why the right option works and why distractors fail.
Mismatched pair: Salvinia is heterosporous, but Equisetum (horsetail) is homosporous.
Mismatched pair: Selaginella is heterosporous, but Lycopodium (club moss) is homosporous.
Both genera produce microspores and megaspores, matching NCERT criteria verbatim.
Mismatched pair: Salvinia is heterosporous, but Psilotum is a primitive homosporous whisk fern.
Lycophytes contain both Lycopodium and Selaginella. Students frequently confuse the two, forgetting that Lycopodium is homosporous while Selaginella is heterosporous.
"Genera like Selaginella and Salvinia which produce two kinds of spores, macro (large) and micro (small) spores, are known as heterosporous."
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