Ceratopteris: an ideal model system for teaching plant biology

We have successfully utilized Ceratopteris richardii as a pedagogical tool in introductory and upper-division investigative exercises and in independent research projects. Undoubtedly, this is one of the simplest and easiest to implement biological systems in educational applications. Plants, especially gametophytes, are readily maintained in culture and can be used as a means to explore a wide array of biological phenomena, research tools, and techniques. This fern affords the advantage of rapid growth, especially for studies of growth regulation, development, and genetics. It enables experimentation on single cells and subsequent manipulation of differentiation into multicellular organisms. Hundreds of individuals may be maintained in a single petri dish, thus facilitating observation of population dynamics and genetics.