Question

The fossil Bryophyte is
A. Riccia natans
B. Riccia discolor
C. Hepaticites devonicus
D. Marchantia polymorpha

Answer 1

Fossils are the traces of living organisms that are used for evolutionary purposes. They are preserved remains of ancient organisms. They can be a part of the organism or the whole organism, impressions or stone imprints, objects preserved, shells, DNA remnants, etc.

Complete answer:
Bryophytes are a group of Plantae kingdom that is characteristically non-vascular. They are land plants that develop in moist habitats. They have a dominant gametophyte stage and lack a true vascular system. They are a close link to the first extinct terrestrial plants. They are divided into three clades or divisions- Marchantiophyta (liverworts), Bryophyta (mosses), and Anthocerotophyta (ferns or hornworts).
Although the fossil records of Bryophytes are poor, evolutionary biologists have identified four main fossil bryophytes. They are- Fossil Hepatophyta, Fossil Anthocerotophyta, Fossil Bryophytes, and Problematic fossil bryophytes.

There are no fossil records of the fossil Anthocerotophyta. The fossil records of fossil Bryophyta or mosses are incomplete. They were recorded in the early Permian period.
The fossil Sporogonites found from the Lower Devonian period resembles the bryophytes. They are considered to be mosses or hornworts.
The earlier three fossil records do not give proper information and are incomplete. The fossil Marchantiophyta have a complete record and give proper details. The earliest fossil record of Bryophytes is the remains of a liverwort. It is obtained from the Upper Devonian rocks of New York. These fossils were assigned to form the genus Pallavicinites or Hepatocytes. Its various species are obtained from the Carboniferous to the Pleistocene deposits. These species closely resemble the living Bryophyte genera.

Option C: Hepaticites devonicus is the oldest fossil hepatic recorded to date. It closely resembles the living genera pallavicinia and belongs to the genus Hepaticites. Schuster identified them and Hueber in 1961 gave their complete description. Therefore, this is the correct option.
All the other options are irrelevant.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C)

Note: The species of the genus Pallavicintes lacked reproductive structures and had sterile shoots only. Therefore, the earlier found Hepatocytes species were considered an anacrogynous series of the Jungermanniales.