Answer :
Final answer:
If the nucleotide sequence of the gene in moss leptoids matches that of the P-protein gene, it provides significant evidence for the homology of leptoids and phloem. Mosses have an alternation of generations, with the leafy green moss plant being the gametophyte and the sporophyte being a brief stage in their lifecycle. The moss plant grows from a spore and only has a maternal parent.
Explanation:
If the leptoids of mosses were found to contain a protein whose gene had the same nucleotide sequence as the gene that codes for P-protein, it would be significant evidence for the homology of leptoids and phloem. Homology refers to the similarity between structures or genes in different organisms due to their common ancestry. The presence of the same gene sequence suggests that leptoids and phloem have a shared evolutionary history.
Mosses have an alternation of generations where both the gametophyte and the sporophyte stages are present. The gametophyte is the leafy, green moss plant that we see, while the sporophyte is the tiny stalk-like structure that grows on the gametophyte. In a flowering plant, the equivalent stage would be the plant itself, not the pollen grains and megagametophytes.
The leafy, green moss plant grows from a spore, not from a fertilized egg. It only has a maternal parent and does not have a paternal parent.