In this activity, students see how increasing the power of magnification leads to much greater detail. They view the reproductive1 structures of ferns, moving from the naked eye to light microscopes to electron microscopes.
Fern structure
Ferns come in a variety of shapes and sizes and this interactive explores the diversity of form in New Zealand ferns. The fern body consists of 3 major parts – the rhizome, the fronds and the sporangia. Click on the labels for more information.
Find out more about the sporangia in this related interactive.
Go here to view the full transcript and copyright information.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
- use a light microscope2 to view fern reproductive structures
- identify some of the fern reproductive structures (sori3, sporangia4, indusium5, spores6)
- discuss the differing amounts of detail they are able to see with the naked eye and with increased powers of magnification.
Download the Word file for:
- introduction/background notes
- what you need
- what to do
- image cards
- student handout.
- reproductive system: The system in an organism that aids in the production of new individuals.
- light microscope: A microscope that uses a glass lens (or lenses) to magnify small objects that are illuminated with visible light.
- sori: (Singular: sorus) Clusters of sporangia on the back of a fertile fern frond.
- sporangia: The reproductive structures in which spores are produced.
- indusium: A membrane enclosing and protecting the developing spores, especially that covering the sori of a fern.
- spores: Small reproductive structures that can grow into a new individual. Produced by ferns, fungi, and some algae and protozoans. In bacteria, spores are different – they form in some bacteria in unfavourable conditions, protecting the bacteria from environmental harm.
