Biology / Unit 11 Bio 2583 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Photosynthesis Supplies a Plant's Mass, Not Soil
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The idea
Photosynthesis, per Bio 0579, converts carbon dioxide into carbohydrate, and that carbon — not soil — accounts for most of a plant's dry mass.
In practice
Soil still supplies water and minerals, per Bio 2573, but these form only a small fraction of dry weight.
Where people slip
"Plants get mass from soil," per Bio 2581, confuses soil's nutrient-and-water role with photosynthesis's role as the mass-building reaction.
Your place on the trail
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