Two roommates with little botanical knowledge thought they could make a quick profit by growing ferns for the commercial florist market. They thought it would be very easy. All they had to do was collect the thousands of spores produced by a fern on their desktop and plant these like tiny seeds in individual pots. If they placed the pots in the sun, fertilized and watered the spores, and waited about a month they would have beautiful plants that they could sell for several dollars apiece. Why are they doomed to failure?
Added by Aaron L.
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Collecting spores: Ferns produce thousands of spores, but these spores are microscopic and difficult to collect. They are usually dispersed by wind, making it challenging for the roommates to gather enough spores for their project. Show more…
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1. The spores on a fern are found: - in the fruit - in the roots - under the leaves - inside the flowers 2. Fern spores usually form during: - spring - winter - summer - fall 3. Why must the plant which grows directly from the fern spore be wet? - in order to produce a seed - so that the egg can be fertilized - so that it can grow 4. Spores are formed in: - ovaries - spore cases - anthers 5. Ferns grow by: - photosynthesis - reproduction - mitosis 6. How do spores help sustain the population of ferns? - Spores do not have any natural predators. - There are millions of spores that are made by a single plant to help keep its population. - Spores can hide under rocks for a long time before maturing into an adult plant. - Spores can live for a long time without maturing into an adult plant. 7. Choose all the right answers. When the leaf of a fern touches the ground, it may produce a new plant: - by planting a spore - by vegetative reproduction - by growing roots at the point of contact - by budding from its stem
Adi S.
A small creek runs through a mature forest, keeping the soil around the creek damp all year. A variety of ferns and several flowering plants thrive in this shady, moist area. Along the higher ground above the creek, many species of flowering plants that need less water grow. If a farmer diverted the creek to water his fields, causing the creek to dry up, what would be the most likely long-term consequence for the ferns and angiosperms in the forest? A. The ferns would outcompete the angiosperms in the forest since they can tolerate a wider range of moisture conditions than angiosperms. B. The angiosperms and the ferns would not be affected since their thick, waxy cuticle coverings would protect them from drying out. C. The angiosperms would outcompete the ferns since their sperm do not need moist conditions to get to their eggs as ferns do. D. The ferns and angiosperms would begin to produce spores instead of seeds since the spores are better able to survive dry conditions.
Anna F.
Analyze the graph and discuss the reasons for the fern spike seen in the early Paleogene, considering ferns were the first plants seen on the ground after the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa and Mt. St. Helens. Propose reasons for the observed increase in fern spores following the mass extinction. a. Ferns are considered early colonizers as they grow fast on poor soil and reproduce rapidly. Also, mass extinction gave an opportunity for the surviving species to expand and radiate to occupy vacated niches. b. Ferns, having a selective advantage of being early colonizers, grew fast on poor soil and reproduced rapidly, thus replaced angiosperms in the landscape. c. Ferns are considered early colonizers as they grow fast on poor soil and reproduce rapidly. Also, mass extinction gave an opportunity for new species to radiate and thereby occupy vacated niches. d. Most of the fern varieties became extinct, only a single species survived; therefore, the remaining fern spores had many vacated niches to occupy which lead to an increase in fern numbers.
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