Question

The water conducting tissue generally present in gymnosperm is__________.
A) Vessels
B) Sieve tube
C) Tracheids
D) Xylem fibres

Answer 1

Gymnosperms are vascular plants that produce naked seeds. Xylem is the water conducting tissue in gymnosperms responsible for transporting water and nutrients from roots to other plant parts. An example of Gymnosperm is Pine tree.

Complete answer:
Xylem, the water conducting tissue is present in all vascular plants. It is composed of many specialized cells performing the function of transportation and support.

The long cells which are dead, hard and have lignified walls are called Tracheids. Tracheids help in transport of xylem sap and provide structural support to plants. Tracheids are the chief water conducting elements in Gymnosperms and Pteridophytes. Tracheids do not have open ends and their average length is 1mm.

The other cells are the Vessels which are present in flowering plants and are absent in Gymnosperms. They have open ends, form continuous vessels and thus help in water conduction.

Let us analyse the options to find the correct answer

Option A: Vessels are absent in Gymnosperms. Hence, this is the incorrect option.
Option B: Sieve tubes are the cells of Phloem which are the tissues responsible for transport of food in plants. Hence, this is the incorrect option.
Option C: Tracheids are the main water conducting tissue generally present in Gymnosperms. Hence, this is the correct option.
Option D: Xylem fibres are present in Tracheids and vessels of a xylem tissue. Hence, this is an irrelevant and incorrect option.

Thus, the correct answer is option (C) Tracheids.

Note:
i) Gymnosperms were the first vascular land plants.
ii) They were believed to inhabit land in the Triassic Period.
iii) The vascular system in plants enabled the Gymnosperms to colonize land.