Fern plants. Like all other vascular plants, the diploid sporophyte is the dominant phase or generation in the life cycle. The gametophytes of ferns, however, are very different from those of seed plants. They are free-living and resemble liverworts, whereas those of seed plants develop within the spore wall and are dependent on the parent sporophyte for their nutrition. A fern gametophyte typically consists of: Ferns first appear in the fossil record in the early Carboniferous period. By the Triassic, the first evidence of ferns related to several modern families appeared. The great fern radiation occurred in the late Cretaceous, when
Lyndon Ferns Lyndon Ferns Lyndon Ferns (born 24 September 1983 in Pietersburg, South Africa) is a retired Olympic gold-medalist and former world record swimmer from South Africa. He swam for South Africa at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. At the 2004 Olympics, he was a member of the South Africa's Men's 4×100 m freestyle relay that won the event in a world record. Three of the team were a part of the relay that broke the record and won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. During the 2007 World Championships held in Melbourne, Australia, Lyndon became the first man out of Africa