Silver fern

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/silver-fern

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?Alsophila dealbata
2. What is the habitat?Native temperate rainforests of New Zealand
3. Where does a silver fern grow?It grows in the moist, shady parts of New Zealand's temperate rainforests. It usually lives in the middle or lower layers of the forest canopy.
4. Why does the silver fern have a silver underside?Scientists think the silver color might help keep the fern cool, protect it from the sun, or keep animals from eating it. They are still studying why it looks this way.

Endemic: A species native and restricted to a particular geographic region.
Abaxial Surface: The underside or lower surface of a leaf or frond.
Biogeography: The study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time.
Tree Fern: A fern characterized by an erect, woody, trunk-like stem, supporting a crown of fronds.