Q: Do ferns have predators? I don't see insects eating them, nor do deer forage on them.
A: Ferns are avoided by many vertebrates, including deer.
One of the most widely distributed types, the bracken fern, Pteridium aquilinum, is toxic to many animals because it contains high concentrations of ptaquiloside, a poison to livestock and a human carcinogen.
Ferns have few insect predators compared with other plants, but do have their enemies.
Prominent among them are aphids, mealy bugs and the tiny insects collectively called scale, which form apparently motionless bumps on the stems as they suck on them.
Other pests and diseases include certain kinds of nematodes, root rot and blight, as well as slugs and snails.
One kind of fern, the brake fern, has been found to absorb arsenic so expertly that it can be used to clean contaminated soil. Normally voracious grasshoppers avoid these arsenic-rich ferns even when starving.
ActiveStyle on 08/21/2017