Where the Sword Fern

Grows
Hazel Wolf
M&Ms (Mahogany Maggots)

Introduction

Our research question : Do sword ferns prefer an

environment with more or less sunlight?
Hypothesis: If Sword Ferns prefer shade, then we
expect to find more in the old growth because we know
that the old growth forest has more canopy cover and
therefore less sunlight.

Definitions
Sword Fern- a species of plant that lives in wet
environments and reproduces using spores
Canopy Cover- the upper layer of trees in a forest that
block the sky (and sunlight)
Old Growth Forest- a forest with big trees, an
understory, nurse logs, and snags

Materials and Methods

Journal and pencils

Foxtail

Quadrat

Flags

Methods:

Split into three groups of five along the Trail of Giants.

Throw the fox tail to randomly choose a data site.

Stand over the fox tail and use the quadrat to measure the percent canopy cover.

Place the quadrat on the ground, so that it is centered on the fox tail, and measure the percent sword fern
cover.

Each group will gather data from five different sites in the old growth forest.

The entire process is repeated along Hob Peak trail, an area with significantly less canopy cover.

Data

See Graphs!

Results

We hypothesized that we would find more sword ferns in an environment with more
shade. Our hypothesis was supported.
Average sword fern cover in the shaded research areas: 77%
Average sword fern cover in the sunny research areas: 14%
We noticed a slight correlation between the percent of canopy cover and the percent of fern
ground cover. As the canopy cover increased, the fern cover also increased.

Limitations
Time
Randomness of the foxy tail
Precision of measurement with quadrats on the ground
and for the canopy cover
Human impact on research area
Larger sample size
Other uncontrollable variables such as such composition

Discussion

If we were to do this study again, we would compare

more similar research areas.
A good follow up field study would be researching how
ground temperature is affected by the amount of sword
ferns in an area.

Larger Implications

-Mass production of sword fern for stinging nettle

treatment
-Habitat for shade seeking species
-Changes in habitat temperature and food sources due to
interactions among species

Thank You!