MOSS AND FERN REPRODUCTION David B. Fankhauser, Ph.D. Professor of Biology and Chemistry University of Cincinnati Clermont College Batavia OH 45103
"Fruiting" Moss	rvsd 23 Mar '94, 27 Mar'95, 20 Mar 96, 27 Mar 00, 27 Mar 01 This page has been accessed  times since 27 March 2001.	Antheridial Head, 40x

See Young, Botany Coloring Book, plates 54, 76, 79.
(Hand out Wet Mount Prep, if not previously given.)
 
 

MATERIALS: Freshly collected Ebony Spleenwort dH20 in dropper bottle scalpel or razor blade microscope slides cover slips

PREPARED SLIDES (from Carolina Biological): B 361b Moss antheridium, l.s. B 363 Moss archegonium, l.s. B 410 Fern prothallia, antheridia & archegonia B 415 Fern prothallium with young sporophyte

I.  FERN SPORULATION: Make a wet mount of sori: press freshly collected Ebony Spleenwort fertile leaflet (with sori)
 

	Take a short field hike to collect fresh Ebony Spleenwort which carries sori on the underside of its leaflets (note the rusty lines of sori in the image.
	Take the specimen into the lab inorder to make a wet mount of the sporangia.
	The equipment for a wet mount include slides, coverslips, dH2O in a dropper bottle, a scalpel and a piece of white paper on which to work.  Here is the protocol for making a wet mount.  Briefly, into a small drop of H2O, scrape sporangia with the scalpel, place coverslip over it, tap gently to suspend Draw the following at specified power of magnification:
	View 1: Intact sporangium, annulus, enclosed spores, 100x
	View 2: Opened sporangium, extended annulus, associated membrane, individual spores, 100x.
	View 3: Single spore: illustrate a single spore in detail, 400x

II.  MOSS SEXUAL REPRODUCTION
Make illustrations of each of these prepared slides, label structures as listed. If properly planned, all illustrations from a given slide can be drawn on a single page, but make them as large as will fit. Note similarities and differences between the mosses and ferns.
 

	Moss antheridium (male gametangium): Slide B 361b View 1. overview showing entire antheridial head, haploid leafy gametophyte, 40x
	View 2. an enlarged antheridium with sperm cells, 100x
	Moss archegonium (female gametangium): Slide B 363 View 1. overview of entire head, show relationship of archegonia, 40x
	View 2. an enlarged archegonium, label stalk, neck cells, egg, 100x
	This image shows a single fruiting moss plant including the components of the sporophytic stage:     filament     capsule     calyptra (white tip on the end of the capsule)
	Here are two views of fruiting moss.  Note the required moist habitat, and that the majority of the material shown is the leafy gametophytic state.

III.  FERN SEXUAL REPRODUCTION

[Still need to photograph these specimens.  Come back soon.]
 

Send Email to: FANKHADB@UC.EDU