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The productivity of autotrophs, such as plants, is called primary productivity, while the productivity of heterotrophs, such as animals, is called secondary productivity. [ 1 ] The productivity of an ecosystem is influenced by a wide range of factors, including nutrient availability, temperature, and water availability.
In ecology, primary production is the synthesis of organic compounds from atmospheric or aqueous carbon dioxide. It principally occurs through the process of photosynthesis , which uses light as its source of energy, but it also occurs through chemosynthesis , which uses the oxidation or reduction of inorganic chemical compounds as its source ...
Gross primary production is a measure of the energy that a photoautotroph harvests from the sun. Take, for example, a blade of grass that takes in x joules of energy from the sun. The fraction of that energy that is converted into glucose reflects the gross productivity of the blade of grass. The energy remaining after respiration is considered ...
Amounts of productivity are also dependent on the overall capacity of plants to capture sunlight which is directly correlated with plant leaf area and N content. Net primary productivity (NPP) is the primary measure of biomass accumulation within an ecosystem. Net primary productivity can be calculated by a simple formula where the total amount ...
Gross primary productivity is the amount of energy the producer actually gets. [13] [14] Generally, 60% of the energy that enters the producer goes to the producer’s own respiration. [12] The net primary productivity is the amount that the plant retains after the amount that it used for cellular respiration is subtracted. [13]
Gross primary production occurs by photosynthesis. This is the main way that primary producers get energy and make it available to other forms of life. Plants, many corals (by means of intracellular algae), some bacteria (cyanobacteria), and algae do this. During photosynthesis, primary producers receive energy from the sun and use it to ...
Research in ecosystem ecology might measure primary production (g C/m^2) in a wetland in relation to decomposition and consumption rates (g C/m^2/y). This requires an understanding of the community connections between plants (i.e., primary producers) and the decomposers (e.g., fungi and bacteria).
Primary production is the production of organic matter from inorganic carbon sources. This mainly occurs through photosynthesis. The energy incorporated through this process supports life on earth, while the carbon makes up much of the organic matter in living and dead biomass, soil carbon and fossil fuels.