Ferns under the microscope
In this activity, students see how increasing the power of magnification leads to much greater detail. They view the reproductive 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.
Find out more about the sporangia in this related interactive.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
use a light microscope to view fern reproductive structures
identify some of the fern reproductive structures (sori, sporangia, indusium, spores)
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.
