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m463 2 hours ago

on the other hand, many giant trees get the water out of the air via fog:

Coalescence of coastal fog accounts for a considerable part of the trees' water needs.[23]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia_sempervirens#Fog_and_f...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia_sempervirens

efskap an hour ago | parent | next [-]

Similarly, it blows my mind that all trees are made of air, specifically the carbon in it. I used to think that the biomass must come from the soil, but reality is more interesting.

30 minutes ago | parent | next [-]
[deleted]
c22 38 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

Kind of like how the vast majority of weight loss in animals happens via exhaling.

Weirder still is the realization that all the air is just trapped light.

nomel an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Sequoia are still limited in height by gravity, probably due to capillary pressures. [1] If they evolved to be segmented, they could probably do it.

[1] https://www.sfgate.com/science/article/REDWOODS-How-tall-can...

hinkley an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

There’s also a theory that the moss on these trees is mutualism instead of simply epiphytic. The moss holds moisture, which can be accessed by the tree.