Petri Dish Observation Paper

I. Description of Observations On the first day of the C-Fern Investigations, we gathered into groups to sow the spores. After thoroughly washing our hands, the first group member used a pipet to gather a small amount of spore suspension. He squeezed the liquid in and out several times, before depositing 3 drops onto the agar solution in a petri dish. Next, another group member used an alcohol wipe to sterilize the spore spreader. It was necessary to ensure no contamination of the spores. He then proceeded to distribute the spores around the dish and solution. After sealing the petri dish back up, I labeled the dish with our group name and date. Finally, the petri dish was placed inside of the culture dome to properly germinate. The second
There were two types of gametophytes observed, a larger one shaped like a heart known as the hermaphroditic gametophyte and housed males and female sex organs. There were smaller structures shaped like small light bulbs also known as male gametophytes. That week we started the process of fertilization. A group member used distilled water to deposit five drops of water into the petri dish. After sealing it back up we waited several minutes before observing the dish under a microscope. As a result of adding water we observed small black dots moving around rapidly, almost “dancing”. From class notes I realized the sperm were seeking out eggs for fertilization. After a while the movement seemed to slow down as the destination was reached and the gametes were soon to
Questions regarding the experiment
Hermaphroditic gametophytes are large in structure and are heart shaped. They contain both male and female sex organs. The male gametophytes are much smaller and tongue shaped. They are covered with tiny circular male sex organs. There are two types of gametophytes for this fern due to the chemical that is emitted by the hermaphroditic gametophyte. The chemical, also known as antheridiogen, in large quantities can lead to the development of male gametophytes (Hickock & Warne). Mitosis took place between the first and second week as well as the second and third week observations. The spores underwent mitosis to form gametophytes. The gametophytes then underwent mitotic division to form two distinct types of gametophytes. The zygote also went through mitosis to develop the sporophyte. Mitosis is the process that creates haploid gametes, because it ensures the haploid gametes do not loose half of its chromosomes and cell data, which would be the result if it underwent meiosis (Hoefnagels.