Productivity
Productivity of an ecosystem is the rate of production or the amount of organic matter formed or accumulated per unit area in unit time.
Productivity in an ecosystem refers to the rate at which energy is converted into biomass by living organisms. This can be measured in terms of photosynthesis in plants, or the amount of food produced by primary producers (such as algae or phytoplankton) that forms the base of the food chain. Productivity can also be measured in terms of the amount of energy that is passed on to higher trophic levels (such as herbivores and predators) as they consume and metabolize the energy from the primary producers. Factors that can influence productivity in an ecosystem include light intensity, temperature, water availability, and nutrient levels.
Types of Productivity in ecosystem
There are several types of productivity in an ecosystem, including:
Primary productivity: This refers to the amount of energy that is produced by plants through photosynthesis. It is the foundation of all other forms of productivity in an ecosystem.
Secondary productivity: This refers to the amount of energy that is consumed by herbivores, which are animals that eat plants. It is a measure of the efficiency of the ecosystem in converting primary productivity into food for higher trophic levels.
Tertiary productivity: This refers to the amount of energy that is consumed by carnivores, which are animals that eat other animals. It is a measure of the efficiency of the ecosystem in converting secondary productivity into food for the top trophic levels.
Net productivity: This is the total amount of productivity in an ecosystem, taking into account all the different forms of energy flow. It is a measure of the overall health and functioning of the ecosystem.
Community productivity: This refers to the total amount of biomass produced by a community of organism in an ecosystem.
Ecosystem productivity: This refers to the total amount of biomass produced by an ecosystem including plants, animals and microbes.
Types of Primary Productivity
There are two types of primary productivity. The net primary productivity is basically the gross primary productivity excluding the energy required for respiration.
Net primary productivity(NPP): This type of productivity is the total amount of organic matter produced by autotrophic organisms in a given ecosystem. It is measured as the difference between gross primary productivity (the total amount of organic matter produced) and respiration (the amount of energy used by the organisms).
Gross primary productivity(GPP): This type of productivity is the total amount of organic matter produced by autotrophic organisms in a given ecosystem. It includes the energy used for growth, reproduction, and maintenance of the organisms.
Key differences between GPP AND NPP:
Gross primary productivity (GPP) and net primary productivity (NPP) are both measures of the productivity of ecosystems, but they are calculated differently. GPP is the total amount of energy fixed by photosynthesis in an ecosystem, while NPP is the amount of energy that is available for consumption by heterotrophic organisms (organisms that cannot produce their own food, such as animals) after accounting for the energy used by autotrophic organisms (organisms that can produce their own food, such as plants) for respiration. In other words, NPP is the amount of energy that is available to support the food web of an ecosystem, while GPP is the total amount of energy that is fixed by photosynthesis.
Net production is equal to your Gross Production minus Respiration, which is similar to the equation above that states the Net Primary Production (NPP) = the Gross Primary Production (GPP) minus Respiration.
Difference between Net Primary Productivity (NPP) and Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) :
Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
- NPP refers to the amount of organic substance stored by autotrophs or producers in unit time per unit area.
- It describes how much glucose is produced excluding the amount of energy utilized for respiratory processes.
- The value of NPP is always comparatively lower.
Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)
- GPP refers to the amount of organic substance synthesized by the producers in unit time per unit area.
- It describes how much glucose is produced during photosynthesis.
- The value of GPP is always comparatively higher.
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