Growing Marchantia from gemma spores

From ActinoBase


Marchantia and their lifecycle

Marchantia (or liverworts) are a genus of plant in the bryophyte taxonomic division along with mosses and hornworts which are thought to be the oldest extant plants on earth. Marchantia have two ways of reproducing - sexually (during their sporophytic phase) and asexually (during their gametophytic phase). In their gametophytic phase, the plant produces gemma cups which contain gemma haploid spores which, when dispersed by wind or rain, has the ability to create a clone of its parent.
Marchantia polymorpha (the ‘Common liverwort’) is used as a model organism in biological studies.

You will need:

  • Healthy Marchantia polymorpha plant with developed gemma cups and gemma
  • dH2O
  • Sterile pipette tips of any size
  • Sterile tweezers
  • 1/2 MS+B5 agar plates
  • Sterile nylon mesh (cut to the shape of petri dish)
  • Micropore tape
  • Plant growth chamber

Protocol

  1. In a sterile environment, place a nylon mesh sheet onto your 1/2 MS+B5 agar plates.
  2. Submerge the Marchantia plant in water and agitate gemma cups with a pipette tip so that the gemma float to the surface of the water.
  3. Pick up a single gemma spore with the tip of a pipette tip and transfer over to the nylon mesh plate.
  4. Close the lid of the plate and seal with micropore tape.
  5. Grow in a growth chamber at 25°C and long daylight hours.