When a tree grows, where does the mass for its trunk and branches come from? How does the mass and stuff get to the top to make new tree parts?

Question

Physics has the conservation of mass right? … And … Things like trees sit in the ground. Where do they get the mass to grow tall? How do they move it up their trunk? How do really old trees get more dirt when they make it into trunks?

In: Biology

Answer 1

This isn’t directly answering your question but kind of related – it’s a fun a fun fact I learned when I visited the redwoods in Northern California. I had always thought trees get their water from their roots in the ground but the reason that redwoods get so tall is they also absorb water from the mist in the air.
Another fun fact about redwoods, when they fall down, the branches sticking up can grow into new trees. About 80% of them that you see today are clones and grew that way as opposed to from seeds. You can trace the dna back to a single seed as long as 30,000 years ago for some.