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Abstract Detail



Frontiers in fern gametophyte research

Watkins, James [1], Der, Joshua [2].

Frontiers in fern gametophyte research.

Long ignored in our search for understanding of fern biology have been critical studies on the gametophyte generation. Indeed until a decade ago, much of what we knew was based on simple breeding system experiments and surveys of gametophyte development and morphology. Interest in gametophyte biology is undergoing a modern renaissance owning to recent discoveries in ecology, physiology, and genomics. The field is now poised to make significant inroads into understanding some of the more basic aspects of fern biology. This symposium topic and speakers will provide insight on fern gametophyte biology that spans across the whole plant, from the cellular to organismal levels, to physiology, ecology, and evolution. This symposium will provide an integrated view of gametophyte biology at a time when interdisciplinary collaboration is critically needed. Recent advances in fern sporophyte physiology have revealed a number of potentially textbook changing ideas related to basic plant biology. We know considerably less about the gametophyte generation. Recent work on gametophyte/sporophyte gene expression, novel discoveries on phototropins and other light receptors, and new insight into reproductive and physiological ecology have set the stage for paradigm altering discovery. This colloquium will bring together some of the most important researchers in the field in an effort establish the next generation of fern gametophyte research. Speakers will examine the molecular and genomic basis for gametophyte development, physiology,reproductive biology, and ecology. We will combine these discussions with modern phylogeny to understand better the evolution of functional biology at the gametophyte level. A symposium on fern gametophyte biology will offer the unique opportunity to 1) organize researchers from around the world to present their work and 2) share our knowledge with an expanding community interested in ferns. No such colloquium or symposium has been run through a Botany in recent memory.

Broader Impacts:


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1 - Colgate University, Department of Botany, 129 Ho Science Center, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY, 13346-1338, USA, 315-228-7660
2 - Penn State University, Department of Biology, 201 Life Sciences Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA, 814-777-7820

Keywords:
none specified

Presentation Type: Array
Session: C4
Location: Prince of Wales/Riverside Hilton
Date: Tuesday, July 30th, 2013
Time: 8:00 AM
Number: C4SUM
Abstract ID:28
Candidate for Awards:None


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