Working with Ferns, 2010 Issues and Applications

In the 1970s, Rolla and Alice Tryon of Harvard organized an annual fern conference at Harvard Forest every spring. The mission of the conference was to bring together researchers from across a broad spectrum of biology whose common link was that they either studied ferns per se or utilized ferns in their experiments. Talks ranged from classical pteridological subjects such as taxonomy, paleobotany and morp- logy, to experimental areas such as ecology, physiology, development, genetics, and biochemistry. For the participants, of whom I was lucky to be one, it was an int- lectually exhilarating experience. We all learned new things, and the cross fertili- tion of different subjects and research approaches led to new ideas and a better understanding of ferns as organisms. The present volume, Working with Ferns: Issues and Applications, edited by Helena Fernández, Ashwani Kumar and Maria Angeles Revilla, carries the Harvard Forest Fern Conference philosophy into the twenty-first century. The editors have assembled a truly remarkable array of contributions dealing with fern biology. Starting with researches utilizing Ceratopteris, a fern whose speedy life cycle I discovered during my doctoral research at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew more than 40 years ago, and ending with a study of Pteridium aq- linum, a cosmopolitan species taxonomically revised by Professor Rolla Tryon, the papers in Working with Ferns: Issues and Applications offer a look at what is new in pteridology.

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION CONTRIBUTION OF FERNS TO UNDERSTANDING OF PLANT DEVELOPMENT Chapter 2 Cellular, molecular and genetic changes during the development of Ceratopteris richardii gametophytes Authors: Salmi M, Bushart T and Roux S J Chapter 3 Laboratory-induced Apogamy and Apospory in Ceratopteris richardii Authors: Cordle AR., Bui LT, Irish EE, and Cheng C-L Chapter 4 Sexual reproduction in ferns Authors: Menéndez V, Revilla A, Peredo E, Revilla MA, and Fernández H. Chapter 5 Gibberellic acid and ethylene control male sex determination and development of Anemia phyllitidis gametophytes Author: Kazmierczak A. Chapter 6 The sporophytes of seed-free vascular plants -major vegetative developmental features and molecular genetic pathways Authors: Tomescu A. PROPAGATION, CONSERVATION AND CONTROL OF GENETIC VARIABILITY IN FERNS. Chapter 7 Form spore to sporophyte: How to proceed in vitro Authors: Menéndez V, Arbesú R, Somer M, Revilla A, and Fernández H. Chapter 8 In vitro regeneration systems of Platycerium Authors: Camloh M and Ambrozic-Dolinsek J. Chapter 9 Stipule propagation in five Marattioid species native to Taiwan (Marattiaceae; Pteridophyta) Authors: Huang Y-M, Huang M-H, Chen C-M, Chiou W-L Chapter 10 Tree ferns biotechnology: from spores to sporophytes Authors: Rybczy?ski JJ and Miku?a A. Chapter 11 In Vitro Propagation of Rare and Endangered Serpentine Fern Species Authors: Marsza?-Jagacka J and Kromer K Chapter 12 Conservation of fern spores. Authors: Ballesteros D. Chapter 13 Exploration of cryo-methods to preserve tree and herbaceous fern gametophytes Authors: Miku?a A, Makowski D, Walters C, and Rybczy?ski JJ. Chapter 14 Pteridophyte spores viability Autores: Gabriel y Galán JM, and Prada C. Chapter 15 Microsatellites: a powerful genetic marker for fern research Author: Jiménez-Soria A. Chapter 16 Diversity in natural fern populations: dominant markers as genetic tools. Authors: Peredo EL, Revilla MA, Méndez M,Menéndez V and Fernández H. ENVIRONMENTAL BIOTECHNOLOGY: ECOTOXICOLOGY AND BIOREMEDIATION IN FERNS Chapter 17 Mitochondrial activity of fern spores for the evaluation of acute totoxicity in higher plant development Authors: Catalá M, Esteban M and García L. Chapter 18 Chronic phytotoxicity in gametophytes: DNA as biomarker of growth and chlorophyll autofluorescence as biomarker of cell function Authors: Catalá M and Rodriguez-Gil JL. Chapter 19 Arsenic hyperaccumulator fern Pteris vittata: Utilities for arsenic phytoremediation and plant biotechnology Author: Rathinasabapathi B. Chapter 20 Aerobiology of Pteridophyta spores: preliminary results and applications Author: Rodriguez de la Cruz D. THERAPEUTICAL/MEDICINAL APPLICATIONS Chapter 21 Studies on Folk Medicinal Fern: An example of “Gusuibu” Author: Chang H-C, Gupta SK and Tsay H-S. Chapter 22 Ecdysteroids in Ferns: diversity, distribution, biosynthesis and functions Authors: Lafont R, Ho R, Raharivelomanana P and Dinan L. Chapter 23 Ferns - from traditional uses to pharmaceutical development; chemical identification of active principles Authors: Ho R, Teai T, Bianchini JP, Lafont R and Raharivelomanana P. Chapter 24 Functional activities of ferns for human health Authors: Lee CH and Shin SL. Chapter 25 Toxicological and medicinal aspects of the most frequent fern species Pteridium aquilinum Author: Vetter J.

Ashwani Kumar Professor, Department of Botany, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur. The author’s repertoire of published works spreads across 150 research articles in various national and international journals. He has an experience of over three decades in his field of research, namely, tissue culture and biochemistry, being awarded with prestigeous V. Puri Medal in 2008 for his services to advancement of Botany. Helena Fernández Associate Professor, Department of Biology of Organisms and Systems, Oviedo University, Spain. Her research focuses on micropropagation and reproduction in ferns during the two last decades. In 2002 she obtained the award “Ramón y Cajal” by The Ministry of Science and Technology, being engaged to the Oviedo University as tenurer, full time, in the Area of Plant Physiology since then. M. Angeles Revilla Plant Physioloy Assistant Professor in the Biology Faculty at the Oviedo University (Spain) since 1987. Twenty years experience in plant tissue culture. She has also worked in cryopreservation and genetic stability for the last ten years, mainly in the development of protocols for in vitro shoot apices in agronomic species.