Question

ASSERTION : A mangrove tree growing in a marshy place has pneumatophores.
REASON : Pneumatophores help in better anchorage to marshy soil.
A. Both Assertion and Reason are correct and Reason is the correct explanation for Assertion
B. Both Assertion and Reason are correct but Reason is not the correct explanation for Assertion
C. Assertion is correct but Reason is incorrect
D. Both Assertion and Reason are incorrect

Answer 1

Hint:- Marshy areas are nothing but wetlands, which are a transition between water bodies such as lakes and rivers and the terrestrial lands, and this marshy area can be of three types mainly, there is freshwater, saltwater, and freshwater tidal. And in these marshes, there are more herbaceous plants that are seen in general, rather than woody plants.

Complete answer:
1. Mangroves are small shrubs or plants which are generally grown in saltwater areas, seen in tropical and subtropical regions.
2. Mangroves are also called halophytes and they are considered as salt-tolerant plants, where they can survive even in harsh conditions.
3. As these plants are growing in the salt water environment, they are a special adaptable system for saltwater, where they have a special filtration system and complex root system, to cope up with that mud water.
4. They are adapted to survive under the low oxygen levels.
5. Because of low oxygen levels and salinity of water, where they grow, they have specialized root structures called pneumatophores, these are present as they are coming out of the soils like straws for breathing.
6. These Pneumatophores are covered by lenticels, that are porous tissue with more intracellular space.
7. And these pneumatophores are coming out as tube-like structures, and the length ranges from 30cm to 3 meters.
8. As the roots of mangroves are waterlogged, they can’t absorb more oxygen, and the water also has fewer oxygen levels, so these pneumatophores are helpful to absorb the oxygen and some other nutrients directly from the atmosphere.
9. So the assertion is correct because mangroves grow in marshy places and they have pneumatophores.
10. But the reason is wrong because pneumatophores are present as aerated roots to absorb the more oxygen present in the atmosphere.
So, the correct option is C.

Note:- Mangroves are present in wetlands, and they are rich in biodiversity and these plants have a specialized root system called pneumatophores which helps to absorb oxygen and some nutrients directly from the environment, and this adaptation is due to the existence of less oxygen in saline water.