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What are the main divisions and representing species of the gymnosperms?

The gymnosperm plants can be divide into coniferous (pine, sequoia, cypress), that have flowers known as strobiles (cones), cycads (very ancient gymnosperms, like the cycas used in garden architecture, that also form strobiles), gnetaceae (gnetum) and ginkgos (the known species is Ginkgo biloba).

How different are gymnosperms from bryophytes and pteridophytes?

Gymnosperms are not cryptogamic as bryophytes and pteridophytes are. Gymnosperms are phanerogamic and so they form flowers and seeds.

What is the evolutionary importance of the emergence of seeds in the plant kingdom?

The evolutionary importance of the seed is related to the plant capability of distant colonization and to the protection of the embryo. Embryo-containing seeds can be carried by water, wind and animals and germinate in different environments. This fact contributes for the exploration of a variety of ecological niches and for the diversity of plant species.

Seeds in addition protect the plant embryo against external aggressions and they also provide germination under more adequate conditions (inside the seed). These features contribute to the evolutionary success of the phanerogamic.