Read the following statements and choose the correct option regarding gymnosperms.

1. The leaves in gymnosperms are well-adapted to withstand extremes of temperature.
2. Their thick cuticle and sunken stomata also help to reduce water loss.
3. The gymnosperms are heterosporous; they produce haploid microspores and megaspores.
4. The microspores develop into a male gametophytic generation.

All are correct.

The correct answer is Option (4)- All are correct.

The gymnosperms (gymnos : naked, sperma : seeds) are plants in which the ovules are not enclosed by any ovary wall and remain exposed, both before and after fertilisation. The stems are unbranched (Cycas) or branched (Pinus, Cedrus). The leaves may be simple or compound. In Cycas the pinnate leaves persist for a few years. The leaves in gymnosperms are well-adapted to withstand extremes of temperature, humidity, and wind. In conifers, the needle-like leaves reduce the surface area. Their thick cuticle and sunken stomata also help to reduce water loss.

The gymnosperms are heterosporous; they produce haploid microspores and megaspores. The two kinds of spores are produced within sporangia that are borne on sporophylls which are arranged spirally along an axis to form lax or compact strobili or cones. The strobili-bearing microsporophylls and microsporangia are called microsporangia or male strobili. The microspores develop into a male gametophytic generation which is highly reduced and is confined to only a limited number of cells. This reduced gametophyte is called a pollen grain. The development of pollen grains take place within the microsporangia.