Which evolutionary plant innovation eliminated the need for sperm to swim through water to fertilize an egg,resulting in plants being truly adapted for reproduction on land?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Pollen is the evolutionary plant innovation that eliminated the need for sperm to swim through water to fertilize an egg. Pollen is a structure that contains the male gametes of a plant and can be carried by wind or animals to reach the female gamete and fertilize the egg, making plants truly adapted for reproduction on land. Independent gametophyte refers to the separation of the generation that produces gametes from the generation that produces spores, but it did not eliminate the need for water for fertilization. Rhizoids are thread-like structures that anchor non-vascular plants to a substrate, but they do not play a role in reproduction. Fruit is a structure that develops from the ovary of a flower and contains seeds, but it does not eliminate the need for water for fertilization.

Which Evolutionary Plant Innovation Eliminated the Need for Sperm to Swim