r/confidentlyincorrect • u/Maleficent-AE21 • 2d ago

Understanding photosynthesis, trees, and conservation of mass.

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u/Dreadnoughtus_2014 2d ago

Where does the carbon dioxide come from then, pray tell?

22

u/SarpedonWasFramed 2d ago

I assume your joking but they get it from tree vending machines, Tree Dash etc. I was homeschooled by an illiterate schizophrenic and even I was taught that.

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u/NickyTheRobot 2d ago edited 2d ago

OK, I get your reply was a joke. But I think this is too cool a point not to share:

Trees in old enough woodlands will have a mycelial network linking them at their roots (and linking all other rooted plants in the area as well). Although from what I understand the plants get all their CO2 from the atmosphere, they will trade with other plants of both the same and different species for micronutrients using the mycelium as a broker. Some of the scientists studying these sorts of forest fungal networks, as well as the exchanges of nutrients and information it enables, have started to call it "the Wood Wide Web" for its resemblance to our internet communications (and for the pun).

Tl:dr; They don't get it from Tree Dash, they get it from treeBay.

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u/SarpedonWasFramed 2d ago

Yeah fungi are amazing. Everytime I hear about it I learn it does something else cool.