Trees are everywhere. However, many have little knowledge about trees and a lot more have many misconceptions about how they grow. With that said, continue to read on to learn more about trees and how they grow.
The Plumbing System
Each tree grows at an end of what can best be described as a plumbing system. Trees are kind of like a collection of annual plants, which create the tree’s fruit, leaves and flowers. What sets trees apart from other types of plants is they have a giant system that consists of branches, which distributes the flows of sugar, hormones and water between the twigs (the plants), which results in trees evolving and growing into the structures that people admire.
Water Flow
There is a living tissue that is right beneath the bark of older branches and dead old cells make up the rest of the branches. The tree is able to stand stall because of the cell walls. What’s even more important than those things is that their structure is sponge-like, which soaks up water via their roots and then delivers that water to every single branch as well as the leaves.
Water is used in numerous ways by the tree. When water flows throughout the tree’s system, it is filtered for its minerals and nutrients. In order for the tree to get enough nutrients, its leaves evaporates water. The sponge eventually dies out and then more water is sucked up from the soil.
The Flow of Sugar
Leaves don’t only play a role in evaporating water but they use the water to aid in a process called photosynthesis, which leads us to the next topic of the flow of sugar. Leaves use the water and carbon dioxide it receives and then binds them to form molecules of sugar. The tree uses sugar as energy.
The living tissues inside the branches is where the flow of sugar occurs. When a connected cell needs energy, then it takes out the sugar from the leaves. The trunk of the tree, as well as the branches, roots and buds are interconnected.
The Flow Of Hormones
The flow of sugars are used to distribute hormones. Also, the flow of water aids in that process. The tips of the branches is where new cells form and this is also where Auxin is produced.
Auxin is a hormone and it regulates growth. There are branches lower down on the main branch. Auxin tells those branches to lay low.
The Twigs
Now you have an idea of how trees regulate their growth, will discuss twigs. Hormones that flow throughout the tree’s plumbing system is where twigs receive their orders from. However, twigs are their own plants and their life begins in a bud.
A bud grows at the end of each branch. Embryos are contained in the bud. This is where a twig’s life begins. The embryo is wrapped up in a protective cocoon, which helps it survive in the winter.
Their Senses
Twigs grow from the buds on a yearly basis and you can think of the twigs as the tree’s eyes and ears. Trees cannot hear, but they have other senses. It’s worth pointing out that twigs can determine where they should grow based on those senses.
Trees actually have a sense of balance. It grows contrary to gravity. Gravitropism is what biologists call this. What many people don’t know is that trees use light as their food, hence why light is extremely important to trees. This is also why trees have a strong sense for light. If a twig doesn’t see much light, then it will start growing rapidly in hopes of finding light.
Now you have a better idea of how trees grow. You also know the inner-workings of trees. As you can see, trees are more complex than you may realise.
