Most people probably wouldn’t look at a fern and think, that plant has life figured out. But perhaps we should. Ceratopteris richardii (C. richardii) doesn’t win the competition for height, complexity, or attention. Instead, it has managed to do something even more impressive: it grows, adapts, and persists. In a world obsessed with being the best, this little fern offers a quieter definition of success.

C.richardii is a lesser-known model organism used by scientists around the world to examine biological questions in the field of plant biology, particularly about the development and evolution of ferns. By studying this fern, scientists have gained perspective on the unique tactics that C. richardii uses to gain an evolutionary edge. Genome duplication, a process by which an organism acquires a second copy of its genetic information, is a key component of this species.

As described in a 2022 article , this new set of genomic information does not merely provide another set of what already existed, rather, mobile genetic elements called retrotransposons shuffle the genome in hopes of gaining new functions that are evolutionarily favorable. As stated in a paper published by the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, this adaptability of C. richardii distinguishes it from other, more genetically rigid organisms that may die off in the case of extreme climate conditions such as heat shock. These genetic adaptations allow this small yet mighty fern to evade extinction.

The significance of C. richardii extends beyond its genome. In fact, scientists examining this fern through the lens of a microscope might just see themselves reflected back. One high school teacher, Terrence Bissondial, left behind tenure and health benefits in the hopes that studying C. richardii would one day pay off. When he returned to the classroom, he brought the specialized knowledge he had gained with him. With the help of C. richardii and a very special level of commitment from Bissoondial, a previously unsuccessful New York high school became a powerhouse of research, churning out award-winning projects one after another. The research program at Hewlett High School became so successful, in fact, that Bissoondial was credited with producing the most science research competition champions in the country.

When asked about his decision to leave a reliable teaching job to study C. richardii, Bissoondial explained, “If you can adapt to your situation you can succeed, as Ceratopteris richardii shows us. I had a choice to make. I made the choice to be a good researcher not to make money.” For Bissoondial, C.richardii is not just a scientific model organism, it’s a reminder of how life should be lived. “You don’t have to be big and brilliant to survive. [C.richardii] is easily outcompeted, but it keeps duplicating genes and hoping for innovation. It is small and people don’t look but it has so many questions and answers to how you approach life. You don’t always have to be grand to be successful.”

The story of C. richardii paints a more complete picture than can be contained in its classification as a fern. Its genome demonstrates the importance of adaptation, while its role as a scientific model organism demonstrates how something seemingly insignificant can inspire meaningful discovery. Bissoondial described this idea best when he said, “[Plants] are not separate from the pursuit of ambition and desire, they just don’t have the anxieties.”