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

Trees pull water up their roots, and that water carries all the vital nutrients they need to grow and thrive. Combining that with photosynthesis bringing in all the energy they need, plants and trees have it pretty good. All that root action brings up nutrients and chemicals that have been deposited by dead and decaying animals and plants.

All that mass is kind of like our human skin. All the outer layers are dead, and the new/forming layers gently push them out from the core.