Presentation Type

Poster

Presentation Type

Submission

Department

Biology

Major

Biology

Abstract

The fern life cycle alternates between two distinct phases: a diploid sporophyte phase and a haploid gametophyte phase. The mature gametophyte is an independent, single-cell layer structure that is photosynthetic. Much of the research on the early development of gametophytes takes place in sterile conditions while research into the effects of the soil microbiome on gametophyte development has not been well characterized. This study examines the interaction between the soil microbiome and early development of two Santa Monica Mountain fern species, Woodwardia fimbriata (Wf) found in riparian streams and Dryopteris arguta (Da) which grow in the chaparral understory. Spores from both W. fimbriata and D. arguta were germinated on the agar slides inoculated with water extracts containing microbes from soil samples collected from the base of sporophytes of each of the two species. Over a 20 day period, images of developing gametophytes were captured and gametophyte two-dimensional surface area was analyzed using computational and image analysis software. In the presence of microbes collected from the Wf habitat, D. arguta gametophytes display a larger average surface area on Day 18 and Day 20 as compared to sterile and Da soil microbe conditions. In contrast, W. fimbriata gametophytes have no significant difference in surface area between the three different media. Further studies will be undertaken to determine whether the increase in growth observed could be due to interactions with specific soil microbes.

Faculty Mentor

Donna Nofziger

Funding Source or Research Program

Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative

Location

Waves Cafeteria

Start Date

24-3-2023 2:00 PM

End Date

24-3-2023 4:00 PM

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Mar 24th, 2:00 PM Mar 24th, 4:00 PM

Effect of Soil Microbes on the growth of two Santa Monica Mountain fern species during early gametophyte development

Waves Cafeteria

The fern life cycle alternates between two distinct phases: a diploid sporophyte phase and a haploid gametophyte phase. The mature gametophyte is an independent, single-cell layer structure that is photosynthetic. Much of the research on the early development of gametophytes takes place in sterile conditions while research into the effects of the soil microbiome on gametophyte development has not been well characterized. This study examines the interaction between the soil microbiome and early development of two Santa Monica Mountain fern species, Woodwardia fimbriata (Wf) found in riparian streams and Dryopteris arguta (Da) which grow in the chaparral understory. Spores from both W. fimbriata and D. arguta were germinated on the agar slides inoculated with water extracts containing microbes from soil samples collected from the base of sporophytes of each of the two species. Over a 20 day period, images of developing gametophytes were captured and gametophyte two-dimensional surface area was analyzed using computational and image analysis software. In the presence of microbes collected from the Wf habitat, D. arguta gametophytes display a larger average surface area on Day 18 and Day 20 as compared to sterile and Da soil microbe conditions. In contrast, W. fimbriata gametophytes have no significant difference in surface area between the three different media. Further studies will be undertaken to determine whether the increase in growth observed could be due to interactions with specific soil microbes.

 

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