Answer
The plant utilized the carbon dioxide from the air and the water and minerals provided by the soil to undergo photosynthesis, resulting in growth of new plant tissue thereby increasing its mass. Since only trace minerals were needed to support the growth of the plant, very little soil was lost during that process.
Work Step by Step
The plant required only a small amount of material from the soil to grow which resulted in only a small loss of mass from the soil. However, the plant undergoes significant growth using those nutrients, which results in the big increase in mass of the plant.
