Evolution of Plants with Vascular Tissues:

Plants are divided into two major groups based on the presence or absence of vascular tissues, which are specialized tissues for transport of water, minerals and organic compounds. Plants that possess vascular tissues are called vascular plants or tracheophytes, while plants that lack vascular tissues are called nonvascular plants or bryophytes.

The evolution of vascular plants from nonvascular plants is a major event in the history of plant life on Earth, as it allowed plants to grow taller and larger, and to colonize diverse habitats. The first vascular plants evolved about 420 million years ago during the Silurian period of the Paleozoic era.

Answer:

The correct answer is option A, Pteridophytes. Pteridophytes are a group of vascular plants that include ferns, horsetails, and clubmosses. They are the first group of plants that evolved true vascular tissues, including xylem and phloem, which allowed them to transport water, minerals, and nutrients throughout their body. Pteridophytes appeared in the Devonian period, about 360 million years ago, and dominated the landscape during the Carboniferous period, about 300 million years ago.

Bryophytes, on the other hand, are nonvascular plants that include mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. They lack true vascular tissues and rely on diffusion to transport water, minerals, and nutrients. Bryophytes are believed to be the earliest land plants that evolved from aquatic ancestors and appeared in the Ordovician period, about 470 million years ago.

Thallophytes and Cryptograms are outdated terms that were used in the past to describe groups of plants that are now recognized as polyphyletic and not monophyletic. Thallophytes referred to a group of plants that included algae, fungi, and lichens, which are not closely related to each other. Cryptograms referred to a group of plants that included ferns, horsetails, clubmosses, and some other groups, which are now recognized as pteridophytes and not a natural group.