What are the benefits of ferns ?

I have a various ferns in my shade garden, i love to see them unfold their foliage, and I like them in a shade garden because it looks natural in a woodland design garden, I use a few native American ferns also have fancy colors one like Japanese painted Fern, but sometimes i have a question in my mind, what do ferns good for ? I think besides some insects use them for food, they are not pollinator plants, and they seemed don't do much in environment? Here are some of the ferns pictures in the garden and in the wild.