What physical forces pull/press water upwards in vegetation?

Question

Each spring enormous amounts of water rise up in trees and other vegetation. What causes this stream upwards? Edit: I was under the impression that capillary action is a key factor: the original question therefore was: what are the fundamental forces involved in capillary action? Can perhaps anybody make an estimation of the amount of gravity energy that is involved in this process earth-wide each season?

Answer 1

forces = adhesion (sap:tube walls) and cohesion (sap:sap).

1. Energy. Hmm. Assume 450 Gt C for plants (https://www.pnas.org/content/115/25/6506) * 30 / 12 (adjust to total dry weight plants) * 0.5 (proportion above ground) * 1 (~50% water, https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_much_water_is_there_in_a_tree_Is_there_any_study_that_has_measured_water_content_in_whole_trees) * 20m (average vegetation height of water content) * G
2. that should get you in the right order of magnitude, perhaps. But remember, the tree doesn't expend this energy in water transport -- it occurs by capillary attraction.