The pictures show two different ferns that lived millions of years apart. The early fern is extinct, but is drawn based on fossil evidence. Scientific data reveals that the early
fern is an ancestor of the modern fern.
Early Fern
Modern Fern
Which statement best explains why the fern changed over time?
O Humans cut ferns to be decorations, causing each generation to be smaller in size.
O As the Sun aged, its energy output decreased and limited the size ferns could grow.
O As flowering plants emerged, less energy was left for ferns and the growth of ferns was stunted.
The changing environment caused unfit plants to die and better adapted plants were smaller in size.