Q.Do you agree with the statement 'Bryophytes need water for fertilization'? Justify your answer.

Step 1. In bryophytes, sexual reproduction is oogamous, with the male organ (antheridium) and female organ (archegonium) both multicellular and enclosed in a protective covering.

Step 2. The antheridium releases biflagellate antherozoids — motile sperm cells that must actively swim to reach the egg.

Step 3. Because bryophytes have no pollen tube or other mechanism to deliver the male gamete mechanically, the antherozoids depend entirely on swimming through a thin film of surface water (such as dew or rain) covering the plant to reach the archegonium and fertilize the egg. …

Justify the statement by tracing the mechanics of bryophyte fertilization from …

• Answering only 'yes' or 'no' without explaining the antherozoid-swimming mechanism that the justification depends on. …