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

2. 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

4. 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

5. Fern Life Cycle

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. Spore
Spore under microscope from spore suspension

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

11. Developing Gametophyte

12. Gametophytes
Male
Hermaphrodite

13. Thriving vs. Dead
Dead Plate
Surviving Plate

14. View of Sperm

15. Preparation for Fertilization

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

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

18. Ceratopteris Fern Life Cycle
Hermaphrodite
Development
Germination
Hermaphrodite
Archegonia &
Antheridia
Spores
Male &
Hermaphrodite
Sporophyte
Male

19. 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

20. 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.

21. 