What makes the physical matter of plants, trees etc?

Question

Its not the soil, as hydroponic plants grow with only water and sunlight. Some plants grow in caves with almost no light. So where do they get the actual mass from?

Answer 1

Plants use carbon dioxide and water to make their own energy from sunlight. Plants are made of carbon.

Answer 2

carbon dioxide and sunlight provide the basic building blocks of matter and mass in plants, in addition to water. None of the species, plant, animal, or even bacterium can survive without water. Further to plants, there is a certain uptake from the ground they grow in, the process of building proteins requires nitrogen (as a primary) and several other molecules. Potassium and Phosphorous for the next, Iron and copper (as chelates in the soil, the pure metals are toxic). So even 'cave plants' should they exist, are dependant on several things - 1) there has to be some light, else how does the plant have energy to process water and nutrients? 2)assuming water is available in the cave, it is not unreasonable to say that the water may contain some plant nutrients. 3) for any living thing there are only two primary sources of energy. The sun. Or far below in near uncharted reaches, the sulpherous geothermal energy of the earth. Check out the 'Smokers' on the deep ocean ridges. Life finds a way.

Answer 3

They are always attatched to something that has the right nutrients to feed it and they have cells which have a nucleus which will continue to serve the cells and grow. Nature will always find a way to survive. Some plants have adapted to live in partial light, too much light may actually have adverse effects on a plant.

Answer 4

water and air have mass, as well as sunlight for that matter, but sunlight doesn't have very much at all, especially once it hits the plant and stops moving so damn fast. and hydroponic plants are fed nutrients. i imagine they get their carbon from the air. that's what I would do.

Answer 5

The mass comes from a collection of protoplasm generated by photosynthisis, plants that only have limited light in which to collect light have reactive cells in them that act as magnifyers thusley symulating more light.
The key thing to remember is no light, no reactive plant cells = dead plant after the protoplasm cells die off

Answer 6

Plants like any other living matter obtain their mass from the Atoms that are all about us.

Answer 7

CARBON IS IN EVERY NATURAL MATTER, and plants no matter what must extract something from their environment to produce protein tombuild their cellss.

Answer 8

hydroponics uses nutrients and minerals, not just water.
the plants extract them and build cells.

Answer 9

Chlorophyll.

Answer 10

Carbon, Oxygen, and Nitrogen mostly, like people.