The biology of C. richardii as a tool to understand plant evolution

The fern Ceratopteris richardii has been studied as a model organism for over 50 years because it is easy to grow and has a short life cycle. In particular, as the first homosporous vascular plant for which genomic resources were developed, C. richardii has been an important system for studying plant evolution. However, we know relatively little about the natural history of C. richardii. In this article, we summarize what is known about this aspect of C. richardii, and discuss how learning more about its natural history could greatly increase our understanding of the evolution of land plants.

Automated summary

The fern Ceratopteris richardii has been extensively studied as a model organism for plant evolution due to its easy cultivation and short life cycle. However, there is limited knowledge about its natural history. This article summarizes the existing information and discusses the potential of further understanding the evolution of land plants through studying the natural history of C. richardii.