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Introduction To Productivity in Ecosystem Roll No 211218

This document discusses productivity in ecosystems. It defines primary productivity as the rate at which green plants fix solar energy through photosynthesis. Secondary productivity refers to the rate at which heterotrophic organisms resynthesize energy from primary producers. Productivity can be measured by standing crop biomass, materials removed from the ecosystem, or production rate. Key factors that influence ecosystem productivity include solar radiation, temperature, moisture, mineral nutrition, biotic interactions, and human impacts. Primary productivity varies globally depending on photosynthetic capacity and environmental conditions in different ecosystems.

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Rajeev Pratap
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59 views3 pages

Introduction To Productivity in Ecosystem Roll No 211218

This document discusses productivity in ecosystems. It defines primary productivity as the rate at which green plants fix solar energy through photosynthesis. Secondary productivity refers to the rate at which heterotrophic organisms resynthesize energy from primary producers. Productivity can be measured by standing crop biomass, materials removed from the ecosystem, or production rate. Key factors that influence ecosystem productivity include solar radiation, temperature, moisture, mineral nutrition, biotic interactions, and human impacts. Primary productivity varies globally depending on photosynthetic capacity and environmental conditions in different ecosystems.

Uploaded by

Rajeev Pratap
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name -Rajeev kumar

Roll no -21/1218

Introduction to Productivity in Ecosystem:

The rate of biomass production is called productivity. The portion of xed energy, a trophic level passes
on to the next trophic level is called production.

Productivity in ecosystems is of two kinds, i.e., primary and secondary. Green plants x solar energy
and accumulate it in organic forms as chemical energy. As this is the rst and basic form of energy
storage, the rate at which the energy accumulates in the green plants or producers is known as primary
productivity.

Productivity is a rate function, and is expressed in terms of dry matter produced or energy captured per
unit area of land, per unit time. It is more often expressed as energy in calories/cm2/yr or dry organic
matter in g/m2/yr (g/m2 x 8.92 = lb/acre). Hence, the productivity of di erent ecosystems can be easily
compared.

Primary productivity has two aspects:

(i) Gross and

(ii) Net.

The total solar energy trapped in the food material by photosynthesis is referred to as gross primary
productivity (GPP).

However, a good fraction of gross primary productivity is utilised in respiration of green plants. The
amount of energy-bound organic matter created per unit area and time that is left after respiration is
net primary productivity (NPP).

Net productivity of energy = Gross productivity — Energy lost in respiration.

The rates at which the heterotrophic organisms resynthesise the energy-yielding substances are called
secondary productivity. Here, the net primary productivity (NPP) results in the accumulation of plant
biomass, which serves the food of herbivores and decomposers.

It is notable that the food of consumers has been produced by the primary producers, and secondary
productivity depicts only the utilisation of this food for the production of consumer biomass. Secondary
productivity is the productivity of animals and saprobes in ecosystem.

Concepts of Productivity:

a. Standing crop,

b. Materials removed, and

c. Production rate.

a. Standing Crop:

This is abundance of organisms existing in the area at any one time. It may be expressed in terms of
number of individuals, as biomass of organisms, as energy content or in some other suitable terms.
Measurement of standing crop reveals the concentration of individuals in various populations of the
ecosystem.

b. Materials Removed:

The second concept of productivity is the materials removed from the area per unit time. It includes the
yield to man, organisms removed from the ecosystem by migration, and the material withdrawn as
organic deposit.

c. Production Rate:

The third concept of productivity is the production rate, at which the growth processes are going
forward within the area. The amount of material formed by each link in the food chain per unit of time
per unit area or volume is the production rate.

Environmental Factors A ecting the Productivity in Ecosystem:

1. Solar radiation and temperature.

2. Moisture, i.e., leaf water potential, soil moisture, uctuation of precipitation, and transpiration.

3. Mineral nutrition, i.e., uptake of minerals from the soil, rhizosphere e ects, re e ects, salinity, heavy
metals and nitrogen metabolism.

4. Biotic activities, i.e., grazing, above ground herbivores, below ground herbivores, predators and
parasites and diseases of primary producers.

5. Impact of human populations, i.e., populations of di erent sorts, ionising radiations, such as atomic
explosions, etc.

6. In aquatic systems, productivity is generally limited by light, which decreases with increasing water
depth. In deep oceans nutrients often become limiting for productivity. Nitrogen is most important
nutrient limiting productivity in marine ecosystems.

The largeness of primary productivity depends on the photosynthetic capacity of producers and the
existing environmental conditions, such as solar radiation, temperature and soil moisture.

In tropical conditions, primary productivity may remain continuous throughout the year, provided
adequate soil moisture remain available.

While in temperate regions, primary productivity is limited by cold climate and a short snow- free
growing period during the year.

Primary productivity of the major ecosystems of the world is as follows:

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