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The Fungus Partners Beneath a Forest

8th grade nonfiction passage about fungi and tree roots: 280 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

8th grade nonfiction fungi and tree roots 280 words

The Fungus Partners Beneath a Forest

Beneath a forest floor lies a hidden partnership. Most trees do not take in water and minerals by their roots alone. Instead, threads of fungi wrap around the tips of the roots or grow into them, forming a partnership called mycorrhiza, a word that means fungus root.

The fungus is made of microscopic threads that spread through the soil much farther and more finely than any root could. These threads soak up water and minerals such as phosphorus, and they pass some of it to the tree. In return, the tree gives the fungus sugars that it makes in its leaves through photosynthesis. A fungus cannot make food from sunlight, so this gift matters a great deal to it.

Both partners gain from the exchange, which is why scientists call the relationship a mutualism. Trees that grow with the right fungi often do better, especially in poor soil. For this reason, gardeners and foresters sometimes add fungi to the soil when they plant young trees.

The partnership is ancient and widespread. Fossil evidence suggests that plants and fungi were already working together when plants first spread onto land, and today the great majority of land plants form some kind of partnership with fungi. Many of the mushrooms that pop up on a forest floor are only the fruiting parts of fungi whose main bodies stay hidden underground.

Some researchers also study whether the threads can link neighboring trees and let materials move between them. How much this matters in a real forest is still being debated, and scientists continue to test the idea. What is certain is that the fungi beneath our feet do real work for the plants above.

Questions

  1. What does the word mycorrhiza mean? in the text

  2. What does the fungus pass to the tree? in the text

  3. What does the tree give the fungus in return? in the text

  4. Why do fungi need sugars from the tree? think about it

  5. Why do scientists call this relationship a mutualism? in the text

  6. Why might foresters add fungi to the soil when they plant young trees? think about it

Words to know

mycorrhiza
a partnership between a fungus and the roots of a plant
microscopic
too small to be seen without a microscope
phosphorus
a mineral that plants need in order to grow
photosynthesis
how plants use sunlight to make their own food
mutualism
a partnership in which both partners gain something
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 196 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.5

Under a forest floor, there is a hidden team. Most trees do not drink water through their roots alone. Thin threads of fungi grow around the tips of the roots. This team is called mycorrhiza. The word means fungus root.

The fungus is made of tiny threads. They spread through the soil much farther than roots can. The threads soak up water and minerals, such as phosphorus. They pass some of it to the tree.

The tree gives something back. It makes sugar in its leaves from sunlight. It gives some of that sugar to the fungus. A fungus cannot make food from sunlight, so it needs the sugar.

This team is very old and very common. Fossils suggest that plants and fungi worked together when plants first spread onto land. Today most land plants have fungus partners. A mushroom on the forest floor is just a small part of a fungus. The main body stays hidden in the soil.

Both partners gain, so scientists call this a mutualism. Trees with the right fungi often grow better, most of all in poor soil. So people sometimes add fungi to the soil when they plant young trees.

▲ This passage · 280 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.3

Beneath a forest floor lies a hidden partnership. Most trees do not take in water and minerals by their roots alone. Instead, threads of fungi wrap around the tips of the roots or grow into them, forming a partnership called mycorrhiza, a word that means fungus root.

The fungus is made of microscopic threads that spread through the soil much farther and more finely than any root could. These threads soak up water and minerals such as phosphorus, and they pass some of it to the tree. In return, the tree gives the fungus sugars that it makes in its leaves through photosynthesis. A fungus cannot make food from sunlight, so this gift matters a great deal to it.

Both partners gain from the exchange, which is why scientists call the relationship a mutualism. Trees that grow with the right fungi often do better, especially in poor soil. For this reason, gardeners and foresters sometimes add fungi to the soil when they plant young trees.

The partnership is ancient and widespread. Fossil evidence suggests that plants and fungi were already working together when plants first spread onto land, and today the great majority of land plants form some kind of partnership with fungi. Many of the mushrooms that pop up on a forest floor are only the fruiting parts of fungi whose main bodies stay hidden underground.

Some researchers also study whether the threads can link neighboring trees and let materials move between them. How much this matters in a real forest is still being debated, and scientists continue to test the idea. What is certain is that the fungi beneath our feet do real work for the plants above.

■ Harder · 295 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 10.6

Beneath every forest floor lies a hidden partnership that most visitors never notice. Many trees do not gather water and minerals by their roots alone. Instead, delicate threads of fungi wrap around the tips of the roots or even grow into them, forming a partnership called mycorrhiza, a word that literally means fungus root.

The fungus consists of microscopic threads that spread through the soil far more widely and finely than any root is able to. These threads soak up water and minerals such as phosphorus, and they deliver a share of them to the tree. In return, the tree supplies the fungus with sugars that it manufactures in its leaves through photosynthesis. Because a fungus cannot make food from sunlight, this gift is extremely important to it.

Since both partners benefit from the exchange, scientists describe the relationship as a mutualism. Trees that grow alongside the right fungi frequently perform better, particularly in poor soil, which is why gardeners and foresters sometimes add fungi to the soil when they plant young trees.

The partnership is both ancient and widespread. Fossil evidence suggests that plants and fungi were already cooperating when plants first spread onto land, and today the great majority of land plants form some kind of partnership with fungi. Many of the mushrooms that pop up on a forest floor are merely the fruiting parts of fungi whose main bodies remain hidden underground, spread throughout the soil.

Some researchers are also investigating whether the threads can link neighboring trees and allow materials to travel between them. How much this matters in a real forest is still being debated, and scientists continue to test the idea. What is certain is that the fungi beneath our feet do genuine work for the plants above them.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put mycorrhiza, microscopic, phosphorus, photosynthesis and mutualism on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 3 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 4 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "The Fungus Partners Beneath a Forest"?

It was written for 8th grade. It has 280 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 8.3. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 3 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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