American chestnut

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/american-chestnut

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Castanea dentata
2. What is the native habitat?Eastern North America, historically a dominant species in Appalachian oak-chestnut forests
3. What made the American chestnut so important in forests?It grew very tall and wide, outcompeting other trees for light and space. Its big nuts were a favorite food for many animals, helping keep the forest healthy.
4. Why did the American chestnut almost disappear?A fungus called chestnut blight, brought from Asia, attacked the trees and cut off their water supply. The blight killed billions of trees in the early 1900s.

Keystone species: A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance.
Vascular cambium: A lateral meristem responsible for secondary growth in vascular plants, producing secondary xylem and phloem.
Cryphonectria parasitica: The scientific name for the fungus responsible for chestnut blight, devastating American chestnut populations.
Vegetative regeneration: The ability of a plant to regrow from non-sexual parts, such as roots or stems, as seen in American chestnut coppicing.