Seeds are a derived character of the spermatophytes. All of the plants in this clade reproduce using seeds. However, embryo formation is also a trait of the spermatophytes. Do you think true water-conducting tissue is a derived character of either embryophytes or green algae?

Embryophyta is a clade within the Phragmoplastophyta, a larger clade that also includes several green algae groups. Embryophytes are the plants growing on land which include hornworts, liverworts, gymnosperms, flowering plants etc while green algae mostly thrive in aquatic environment.

The conduction of water requires vascular tissue called xylem. In green algae, it is not necessary to have water conducting tissue as the entire body is in contact with water. However in embryophytes, having a vascular tissue is an adaptation that ensures to provide water to the higher parts of the plant which is not directly in contact with the soil.

fertilization, pictured in figure 24.23a is the process in which gametes (an egg and sperm) fuse to form a zygote. the egg and sperm each contain one set of chromosomes. to ensure that the offspring has only one complete diploid set of chromosomes, only one sperm must fuse with one egg. in mammals, the egg is protected by a layer of extracellular matrix consisting mainly of glycoproteins called the zona pellucida. when a sperm binds to the zona pellucida, a series of biochemical events, called the acrosomal reactions, take place. in placental mammals, the acrosome contains digestive enzymes that initiate the degradation of the glycoprotein matrix protecting the egg and allowing the sperm plasma membrane to fuse with the egg plasma membrane, as illustrated in figure 24.23b. the fusion of these two membranes creates an opening through which the sperm nucleus is transferred into the ovum. the nuclear membranes of the egg and sperm break down and the two haploid genomes condense to form a diploid genome.

explanation: