Question

Most of the gymnosperms have

• A. Only antheridia
• B. Both archegonia and antheridia
• C. Archegonia but not antheridia
• D. Both archegonia and antheridia are absent

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

Archegonia but not antheridia

An antheridium or antheridia is a haploid structure or organ producing and containing male gametes called as antherozoids or sperm. It is present in the gametophyte phase of cryptogams like bryophytes and ferns, and also in the primitive vascular psilotophytes.
In many gymnosperms and all angiosperms, the male gametophytes are reduced to pollen grains and their antheridia have been reduced to a single generative cell within the pollen grain. During pollination, this generative cell divides and gives rise to two sperm cells. The female counterpart to the antheridium is the archegonium. They are much-reduced and embedded in the megagametophytes of gymnosperms. Gymnosperms have their archegonium formed after pollination inside female conifer cones (megastrobili).