What does the C in C-Fern stand for?
Ceratopteris richardii
A brief overview of a model plant system C-Fern® is a specially derived cultivar of the tropical homosporous fern, Ceratopteris richardii, commonly referred to as “water fern”, which is also used as an aquarium plant.
What are the two types of C-Fern gametophytes you will see on the agar plates?
C-ferns produce two types of gametophytes: hermaphrodites and males. The hermaphrodites are heart-shaped flat, single-cell layer gametophytes producing both archegonia and antheridia and the males are club-shaped structures with antheridia only.
How are C-Fern spores produced?
In ferns, seed plants and other vascular plants, the sporophyte is the dominant phase of the life cycle and produces spores by meiosis. Under the right conditions, spores grow by mitotic divisions and differentiate into multicellular plants that eventually produce gametes. Look at the vial of C-Fern spores.
Why are C ferns model organisms?
The advantages of Ceratopteris as a model plant system derive from the unique features of its life cycle: both haploid and diploid phases exist independently, studies can be undertaken at both the whole plant and cellular level without artificial manipulations of the life cycle, reproduction by means of single celled …
Why are ferns dependent on water?
Ferns require water to enable the movement of the sperm to reach the egg. A zygote is a combination of genetic material from both the egg and sperm and contains a complete set of DNA to form a new fern plant.
Are C Fern gametophytes haploid?
As a homosporous fern, C-Fern has two independent, autotrophic phases: a developmentally simple haploid gametophyte and a vascular diploid sporophyte. At maturity, the gametophyte consists of a small (<2 mm), simple two-dimensional thallus with rhizoids, vegetative cells, and sexual organs (archegonia and antheridia).
What effect does the chemical Antheridiogen have on a C fern gametophyte?
In many species, the sexual phenotype of the gametophyte is determined by the pheromone antheridiogen. Antheridiogen induces male development and is secreted by hermaphrodites once they become insensitive to its male-inducing effect.
What happens to the spores of ferns *?
Some ferns have a covering over the sporangia known as an indusium. When the spores are mature, they are released from the sporangia. If a spore lands on a suitable site, it will germinate and grow via mitosis into a mature gametophyte plant. A gametophyte is the plant that produces gametes.
How is a gametophyte created?
A gametophyte is created when the sporophyte generation produces spores. Spores are made by meiosis or cell division that reduces the number of chromosomes by half. These haploid cells produced by sporophytes are spores. Spores will then undergo mitosis to grow into a multicellular haploid gametophyte.