What are the features of gymnosperms from other higher plants?

The advantage of gymnosperms over ferns is that the former reproduce with the help of seeds. Seeds have a higher survival rate. They can withstand significant temperature fluctuations, while fern spores can develop into an adult plant only in the presence of abundant moisture and a stable temperature regime. It is for this reason that gymnosperms (in particular, conifers) occupied vast areas of the temperate climatic zone, where tree ferns grew in the geological past.