Absorption of nutrients in ferns is through

Answer Details

Ferns are vascular plants (pteridophytes) that possess true roots, stems, and leaves. Their roots are the structures responsible for absorbing water and dissolved mineral nutrients from the soil, just as in flowering plants. The roots of ferns are adventitious, arising from the rhizome (underground stem), and they have root hairs that increase the surface area for absorption.

Hyphae are the thread-like filaments that make up the body of fungi and are used by fungi for absorption, not by ferns. Rhizoids are simple, root-like structures found in bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) and some algae; they anchor the plant and assist with absorption in organisms that lack true roots. A rhizome is the horizontal underground stem of a fern that functions in anchorage and vegetative reproduction, not directly in nutrient absorption.

The key distinction is that ferns, unlike simpler plants such as mosses, have evolved true roots with vascular tissue (xylem and phloem) for efficient absorption and transport.