Big Bend National Park in Texas is mostly Chihuahuan desert, where rainfall averages about 10 inches per year. Yet, it is not uncommon when hiking in this bone-dry desert to encounter mosses and ferns. One such plant is called "flower of stone." It is not a flowering plant, nor does it produce seeds. Under arid conditions, its leaflike structures curl up. However, when it rains, it unfurls its leaves, which form a bright green rosette on the desert floor. Consequently, it is sometimes called the "resurrection plant." At first glance, it could be a fern, a true moss, or a spike moss.
-Upon closer inspection of the leaves of flower of stone, one can observe tiny, cone-like structures. Each cone-like structure emits spores of two different sizes. Consequently, flower of stone should be expected to possess which other characteristics?
1)a gametophyte generation that is dominant
2)lignified vascular tissues
3)microphylls
4)filamentous rhizoids, but not true roots
5)spores that are diploid when mature

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The presence of cone-like structures emitting spores indicates that the plant belongs to the group of spore-producing plants, which include ferns and their relatives. These plants have a dominant sporophyte generation, not gametophyte as in mosses. The presence of microphylls, or small leaves with a single vein, is a common characteristic of ferns and their relatives. Flower of stone is not expected to have lignified vascular tissues or true roots, but may have filamentous rhizoids. The spores produced are haploid, not diploid. Therefore, the best choice is C, which includes 2 and 3.

Big Bend National Park in Texas Is Mostly Chihuahuan Desert