Sea urchin gametes in the teaching laboratory: good experiments and good experiences.

Publisher Summary The chapter presents information on using sea urchin gametes in the teaching laboratory along with representative exercises that demonstrate many of the phenomena of early development. The chapter focuses on labs that can be completed in one to two days and on the ability to use this material for inquiry-based teaching, in which the student can ask questions and quickly obtain answers to these questions. Sea urchins provide classic material for laboratory experimentation in the classroom because of their rich heritage and history and because of the ease with which urchin embryos can be fertilized and grown in the lab. The chapter presents a series of laboratory exercises that are used in the classrooms at Stanford, University of California. These exercises provide specific examples that are used as described or as ideas or scaffolds for use in specific situations. They start out with simple microscopic observations with light or phase microscopes that are essential introductory labs. Basic protocol for in vitro fertilization, observation of early development of gametes, fertilization, post-fertilization events, and later development stages are discussed. The chapter describes some possible experiments that students can perform that can lead to questions about the molecules and mechanisms involved in fertilization and early development.