Planting Science: Ceratopteris Ferns By Deeksha Deep, Hannah Hamilton, and Erika Baker (The Ceratopterists)

General Plant Life Cycle Two Multicellular Stages: Gametophyte (haploid) Sporophyte (diploid) Sporophyte goes through meiosis to produce spores. Spores go through mitosis to produce the gametophyte. Gametophyte undergoes mitosis to produce male and female gametes. The gametes come together during fertilization to produce the zygote. The zygote becomes the sporophyte after many rounds of mitosis

We Examined the Development of Ceratopteris Ferns commonly known as C-ferns mainly aquatic relatively small thrive in temperatures between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit complete life cycle in approximately 90 days can grow in agar medium, suspension culture, soil, or sand

Fern Life Cycle

Fern Life Cycle seedless vascular plants reproduce with spores homosporous sori consisting of groups of sporangia release spores spore germinates into gametophyte (male or hermaphrodite antheridia (male) and archegonia (female) release gametes fertilization occurs in the presence of water zygote forms and go through mitosis to form the fern sporophyte

Procedure Disinfect Prepare the spore suspension Spread the spore suspension with paper clip onto agar Tape and label the Petri dishes shut Put Petri dishes in plastic bags Place into light box Temperature was around 29 degrees Celsius Ziploc bags with Petri dishes were rotated to allow for equal amounts of light

Growth and Development Spore Spore grew a filament after one week visible gametophytes after one more week When the antheridia and archegonia release gametes, water was added for fertilization zygote formed and underwent mitosis to form the sporophyt

Spore Spore under microscope from spore suspension

Spore one week later: filament Picture of Spore with filament Drawing of Spore with filament

Developing Gametophyte

Gametophytes Male Hermaphrodite

Thriving vs. Dead Dead Plate Surviving Plate

View of Sperm

Preparation for Fertilization

The Last One Standing!!! Day 1: Sowing Spores Gametophytes Vertical Growth Close up of Sporophyte Leaves Growing Sporophytes Dissecting Scope View

Plates From Planting Science Petri dishes in light box Smiley Face 

Ceratopteris Fern Life Cycle Hermaphrodite Development Germination Hermaphrodite Archegonia & Antheridia Spores Male & Hermaphrodite Sporophyte Male http://chsweb.lr.k12.nj.us/psidelsky/c.fern.htm

Results and Conclusions All but one of the Petri dishes did not make it to the gametophyte stage. That may have been due to temperature inside of the box increasing because of an increase in outside temperature. We received more Petri dishes from the Planting Science organism. They were started later than ours, so they are behind in the life cycle but are still in the sporophyte stage All plates will presumably go on to reproduce

Discussion Ferns were first found in the fossil records in the Carboniferous today Fern remains are part of what makes up our coal Ferns became less prominent as the seed plants (gymnosperms and angiosperms) took over Ferns have many uses: fixing nitrogen to help provide nutrients to other plants, landscaping, and absorbing heavy metals from soil Learning about C-ferns helps generalize the fern life cycle and learn about what is going on around us in the environment.

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