Q.Which of the following represent gametophytic generation in pteridophytes?

Step 1. In pteridophytes the sporophyte (2n) is dominant and differentiated into root, stem and leaves; it may bear a cone or strobilus (as in Selaginella) — so 'Cone' (c) describes a sporophytic structure, not the gametophyte.

Step 2. 'Rhizophore' (d) is a leafless, root-bearing organ found on the Selaginella sporophyte — again sporophytic, not gametophytic.

Step 3. 'Thallus' (b) is the term used for the bryophyte gametophyte body, not the pteridophyte one.

Step 4. The pteridophyte gametophyte has its own distinct name: spores germinate into a small, multicellular, green, heart-shaped, independent structure called the prothallus, which bears the antheridia and archegonia.

Identify which structure in each option belongs to the sporophyte vs. the gametophyte generation.

• Calling the pteridophyte gametophyte a 'thallus' by analogy with bryophytes — pteridophytes use the distinct term 'prothallus'.
• Mistaking sporophytic structures (cone, rhizophore) for gametophytic ones.