When the bark of a tree is removed in a circular fashion all around near its base, it gradually dries up and dies because

When the bark of a tree is removed in a circular fashion all around near its base, it gradually dries up and dies because Correct Answer Roots are starved of energy.

The correct answer is Roots are starved of energy.

Key Points

• What is Tree Bark?
  • Bark, often “tree bark” in botany, means the outer covering of woody plants.
  • Woody plants, unlike herbaceous plants, create an intricate framework of cells and fibers, which provides significant support and protection.
  • The bark is considered an accumulation of several different outer layers of a wood plant.
    • It consists of tissues outside the vascular cambium or central bundle of vascular cells.
    • These tissues, unlike bark, are fully alive and transfer fluids from the roots to the leaves. Hence, option 2 is correct.
• The function of Tree Bark:
  • Bark, which includes everything towards the outside of the plant starting at the vascular cambium, is much thicker than most people assume.
  • The inner bark is composed of living tissues, which help translocate the sugars created in the leaves to other parts of the plant.
  • This happens in the secondary phloem. Outside of the secondary phloem, cells began to die off, and the layers begin to compress.
  • These layers are responsible for providing protection. The outermost layer, the periderm, consists of several layers of more compressed cells. Some of these are cork cells, which are covered in a special type of wax and don’t collapse when they die.
  • Trees use their outer bark for different purposes, but mainly for protection against water loss and predators.
  • Insects and herbivores want to eat the leaves off woody plants. These plants are often protected by thick bark past where local herbivores can reach.
  • The outer bark, which the compressed cork layers, is also waterproof. This helps keep the inner bark from drying out and insures the plant can continue to move sugars from the leaves to where they are needed.