Mosses are small plants that live in damp conditions.
The life cycle of many mosses involves two stages: a gametophyte and a sporophyte.
The gametophyte contains haploid cells and produces sperms and eggs.
The sporophyte contains diploid cells and produces spores which can be spread easily through the air.
The spores germinate and grow into a gametophyte.
Fig. 19.2 shows the life cycle of the moss Funaria.
Fig. 19.2
(i)
The zygote grows into the sporophyte by mitosis.
The haploid gametophyte of one species of Funaria contains 28 chromosomes.
A single DNA molecule contains two strands.
Calculate the number of strands of DNA present in the nucleus of the zygote immediately before mitosis.
[1]
(ii)
Mark an X on Fig. 19.2 at the point at which meiosis occurs.
[1]
(iii)
A diagram of a moss sperm is shown in Fig. 19.3.
Fig. 19.3
The flagella allow the sperm to move towards an egg.
Suggest and explain another adaptation that is likely to be present in these sperm cells.
[2]