C-Fern Report

COMPETENCIES

A) Introduction.

1. What is the correct scientific name of the fern with which you are working? Why is it important for organisms to have scientific names versus common names?

2. Correctly classify the organism. To which kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species does it belong?

3. Provide a brief morphological description of the adult sporophyte generation of this genus. Be use to include both vegetative and reproductive structures. In what part of the world would you find this genus? In what types of habitats? Does it native to the USA? If so, which states?

B) Purpose. Provide a brief but precise statement of the purpose of the study on which you are reporting. What were you trying to ascertain by collecting the data that you did?

C) Materials and Methods. Provide a concise description of the procedures that you followed to culture your ferns and to collect data. Do not give a week by week sequence. Instead summarize the procedures (but still be precise and inclusive).

D) Results and Discussion.

1. Life Cycle Description.

Based on your observational data, diagram in detail the life cycle of this species. Include illustrations (based on the original data that you collected, not a published life cycle or one that is posted on the Internet) of what each phase of the life cycle and pertinent structural features look like (all accurately and clearly labeled). Indicate the ploidy of each structure and at what stage(s) meiosis and mitosis occur in the life history. Include all significant structural features.

2. Observational structure and function analyses.

a) Culture conditions. Describe the importance of the specific environmental conditions under which your plants are being grown. Why are the plants grown on a nutrient agar? What macro and micronutrient elements are necessary for successful plant growth? What biological processes and fern structures (if any) are used by the gametophytes to obtain the nutrients necessary for metabolism? Why are plant growth lights necessary as opposed to regular incandescent or fluorescent lights? What role does temperature play in gametophyte growth and health?

b) Spores.

вћў What is a spore? Define the term with regards to plant reproduction.

вћў Describe a typical ungerminated Ceratopteris spore (include general color, overall morphology, and spore wall ornamentation). Were all of the spores that you cultured the same in general morphology, size, and color? If not, what distinct differences exist? Are the spores homosporous or heterosporous? What variations in the spore wall ornamentation occur on different surfaces of the ungerminated spores? How do ornamentation differences relate to spore function and germination?

вћў What is spore germination?

вћў How do germinated spores differ structurally from ungerminated spores?

вћў What physiological processes, hormones, and environmental triggers are involved in inducing spore germination in ferns?

c) Gametophyte development.

вћў Describe and illustrate the fundamental morphologies of the protonemata (prothalli) that you observed. Hint: there are two morphologies. Label the spore wall, rhizoids, photosynthetic cells, gametangia (distinguish between male and female) and growing notch. What is the function of the growing notch? What is the function of the rhizoids?

вћў Are the gametophytes of Ceratopteris monoecious or dioecious? Explain. (Be sure to define monoecious and dioecious within your answer.) Physiologically,