Necrotic Thorns

 Our experiment was how salinity of water affects the rate at which hermaphrodites reach sexual maturity. We used salt solutions of.15 g/mL,.3 g/mL,.6 g/mL and a control of distilled water (no salt). Experimental Overview Prediction Experimental Setup  If a higher level of salinity is present in the water, then in will hinder the rate at which hermaphrodites reach sexual maturity because in a hypertonic solution (more salt present outside of the cell than on the inside) the intake rate of water passing in and out of the cell is reduced and will result in less growth.  We set up our experiment by creating four hypertonic solutions with 100 mL of distilled water in each of the 4 beakers and added iodized salt in at different levels: Control (No Salt),.15 g/mL,.30 g/mL, and.60 g/mL. From March we observed the affects of adding 4 drops of each solution to its respective petri dish every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday within that period. Research Conclusion  Our prediction was incorrect in the fact that the increased salinity in the water did not hinder the rate at which the hermaphrodites reached sexual maturity, but instead it seemed to stimulate their growth rate. This could be due to the c- ferns reacting under the additional stress by trying to increase their growth rate to protect themselves.

Experimental Design 4 drops Control – Distilled Water.15 g/mL salt solution.3 g/mL salt solution.6 g/mL salt solution

Observations – Day 1(March 13) Control.15 g/mL.30 g/mL.60 g/mL

Observations – Day 7 (March 20) Control.15 g/mL.30 g/mL.60 g/mL

Observations – Day 13 (March 25) Control.15 g/mL.30 g/mL.60 g/mL

Measurements March 13March 14March 18March 20March 21March 25 Control (No salt)1mm2mm4mm 9mm13mm.15 g/mL1mm2.1mm4.5mm5mm8mm12mm.30 g/mL1mm2mm5.5mm 8.3mm15mm.60 g/mL1mm1.1mm5mm5.5mm9mm12mm Observations Control (No salt) Drops (4) first added on March 11. First observation (March 13) shows rhizoids present in some of the control spores. All control spores germinated. Second observation shows same amount of rhizoids present as the first observation. Hermaphrodites are starting to develop a definite glove shape. Third observation shows that the majority of the Hermaphrodites have started to develop archegonia and antheridia. Fourth observation shows that all hermaphrodites have developed archegonia and antheridia. They’ve now started to produce eggs and the males sperm. Fifth observation shows more sperm and eggs have been produced by the hermaphrodites and the males. The first fertilized eggs have started to appear. Sixth observation shows that more fertilized eggs have appeared, but still less than half of all the eggs have been fertilized..15 g/mL Drops (4) first added on March 11. First observation shows half of the spores are germinated. Rhizoids present in some of the.15 solution spores. Less rhizoids present than the control spores. Second observation shows almost all spores germinated and more rhizoids present in germinated spores. Hermaphrodites have started to develop. No definite glove shape present yet. Third observation shows over half of the hermaphrodites have developed a definite glove shape. Some of the hermaphrodites have started to develop archegonia and antheridia. Fourth observation shows that all hermaphrodites have developed archegonia and antheridia. Eggs and sperm have been produced by the males and hermaphrodites. Fifth observation shows that fertilized eggs have appeared. However, the majority of the eggs are still unfertilized. Sixth observation shows that about half of the eggs are now fertilized..30 g/mL Drops (4) first added March 11. First observation shows less than half the spores are germinated. Rhizoids present in all germinated spores. Less present than in the control and.15 solution. Second observation shows half of the spores have now germinated. Rhizoids are abundant in all germinated spores and there are hermaphrodites present in the Petri dish. Third observation shows that the about half of the hermaphrodites have developed archegonia and antheridia. Fourth observation shows all of the hermaphrodites now have antheridia and archegonia. Eggs and sperm have been produced by the hermaphrodites and males. Fifth observation shows that about half of the eggs produced are now fertilized. Sixth observation shows that all of the eggs are now fertilized..60 g/mL Drops (4) first added March 11. First observation shows less spores germinated than the other 3. Rhizoid presence higher than any other of the 3 trials. Second observation shows more than half of the spores are now germinated. The Hermaphrodites have developed a definite glove shape. Third observation shows all hermaphrodites have the glove shape and have developed archegonia and antheridia. Some eggs and sperm are now present. Fourth observation shows that more than half of the eggs have been fertilized and the hermaphrodites have produced more eggs and the males more sperm. Fifth observation shows that all of the eggs have been fertilized. Sixth observation shows that the fertilized eggs have started to develop a little bit. Data Table