Guild Wars 2

I daresay that “Anatomy” is a strong word, but more like theories a few guildies and I were throwing back and forth. Supported by real-life plant works, even!

Sylvari Diet:
Why do the Sylvari Need to Eat?
If we look at real life carnivorous plants (Venus Fly Traps, Bladderworts, etc.) have adapted to grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic bogs and rock outcroppings. Thus it can be safely assumed that the reason Sylvari eat meat, or any other plant-animal, is because the nutrients they need cannot be given to them due to the fact that they are not rooted into the ground. Note, they still can do photosynthesis since that’s what all plants do and that’s where the Sylvari get their energy, but the nutrients are given to them from the consumed foods.

Sylvari Reproduction
Why Can’t Sylvari Create More Sylvari?
Arguably the Pale Tree is an adult Sylvari and as we know it the “Sylvari” are merely seeds that will be planted when they die, or just happen to bury themselves into the dirt at any given moment. Granted seeing as the Sylvari die when they are buried, or that they merely choose not to bury themselves alive, we shouldn’t be expecting other Pale Trees to pop up any time soon. And even if a Sylvari chose to bury themselves so they’d become a Pale Tree, it took the original Pale Tree about 200 Years for it to fully be able to create the Sylvari. And on top of that it also had magical energies imbued in at the time of it being planted.

Arena-Net Reply would be appreciated to see if I’m wrong/right/maybe’d~

We don’t actually know that the sylvari are seeds. The Pale tree wasn’t planted as a sylvari though. As far as we know, she was a seed found in a cave with other seeds and planted by Rowan. And we do know that the sylvari are the Pale Trees interpretation of humanity. But a good sylvari sight with a lot of references for a lot of questions here: http://guildwars2roleplay.wikispaces.com/A+Comprehensive+Guide+to+All+Things+Sylvari

Forgive me, I should have noted this was speculation on my part!

But thank you for the link, I shall read up on it!

Sylvari can photosynthesize for energy, but given their extremely mobile, energetic existence, I think it’s safe to say that they must eat food to maintain that kind of lifestyle. Rooting themselves in the ground and photosynthesizing can keep them alive, but it’s probably done only as a last ditch effort for survival in areas where they’ve run out of food.

In the S2 living story missions, an NPC says that scarlet only left her room in dry top for supplies and food, so I guess that means sylvari need food.

“They gain enjoyment from sitting in the sunlight—and it invigorates them—but can’t live on it as plants do.” – Ree Soesbee, Dream and Nightmare

“They do have a stomach area in their body, it does decompose material just like a humans would and then uses that material to fuel the body.” -Ree Soesbee, Wartower Interview

The sylvaris are said to be the Pale Tree’s fruits, not seeds. Let’s do not take as granted that all the fruits are reproductive fruits (and seeds). The Pale Tree is not the usual plant, and her fruits are not the usual fruits. She may need fruits for other purpose than reproduction, and we could consider the sylvaris as “emissary” fruits!

Dabuddah.4298:

Note, they still can do photosynthesis since that’s what all plants do and that’s where the Sylvari get their energy, but the nutrients are given to them from the consumed foods.

To do photosynthesis, a plant needs chlorophyll, a green pigment. Thus, only green Sylvari could do photosynthesis.

Even non-green coloured plants can have chlorophyll in their skin, you know. There are plenty of non-green plants in real life that can photosynthesize just fine. They just don’t look green due to a prevalence of different colour pigments.

HHR LostProphet.4801:

Dabuddah.4298:

Note, they still can do photosynthesis since that’s what all plants do and that’s where the Sylvari get their energy, but the nutrients are given to them from the consumed foods.

To do photosynthesis, a plant needs chlorophyll, a green pigment. Thus, only green Sylvari could do photosynthesis.

That’s not entirely true, there are photosynthetic pigments besides chlorophyll. Plants on Earth use chlorophyll because they get enough energy out of red and blue light that wasting the green light by reflecting it doesn’t hinder them. But there’s no reason a plant couldn’t use other pigments for photosynthesis, especially when it’s a magical plant person that gets the vast majority of its energy from food where the color used for photosynthesis is unrestricted by both evolutionary history and a need for light absorption efficiency.

Edit: Also, what Zaxares said applies as well.