Red, Brown, and Some Green Algae Exhibit Alternation of Generations

Multiple Choice

Red, brown, and some green algae exhibit alternation of generations. All land plants exhibit alternation of generations. No charophytes (stoneworts) exhibit alternation of generations. Keeping in mind the recent evidence indicating charophytes are the sister group to land plants, we can infer ________.

A) charophytes are not related to red, brown, or green algae or land plants
B) alternation of generations likely evolved independently in land plants as well as in red and brown algae
C) alternation of generations is not beneficial to charophytes but could re-evolve over time
D) land plants evolved directly from the green algae that perform alternation of generations
E) scientists have no evidence to indicate whether or not land plants evolved from any kind of alga