Biome Productivity
A significant element of a biome is it's productivity. However to fully understand this productivity, it is necessary to know some key terms.
Gross productivity: the rate at which energy is produced by plants through photosynthesis, before the plant uses any of the energy itself
Net productivity: the difference between the amount of organic matter produced by photosynthesis and the amount of organic matter used by plants in their growth
Primary productivity: Primary production is the production of organic compounds from atmospheric or aquatic carbon dioxide, principally through the process of photosynthesis, with chemosynthesis being much less important. All life on earth is directly or indirectly reliant on primary production.
Secondary productivity: secondary production, the transformation, through consumption, of this biomass into other forms. Secondary production is the gain in biomass or reproduction of heterotrophs and decomposers. The rates of secondary production are very much lower than the rates of primary production.
Gross primary productivity: GPP, is the total amount of CO2 that is fixed by the plant in photosynthesis.
Net primary productivity: NPP, is the net amount of primary production after the costs of plant respiration are included. Therefore,
NPP = GPP – R
In the Mediterranean Shrublands, the total Net Primary Productivity is 1.4. This is an extremely low npp number reflecting the biome's low productivity. The shrubland biome is also more fire inclined, so these fires are another component of its productivity.
Gross productivity: the rate at which energy is produced by plants through photosynthesis, before the plant uses any of the energy itself
Net productivity: the difference between the amount of organic matter produced by photosynthesis and the amount of organic matter used by plants in their growth
Primary productivity: Primary production is the production of organic compounds from atmospheric or aquatic carbon dioxide, principally through the process of photosynthesis, with chemosynthesis being much less important. All life on earth is directly or indirectly reliant on primary production.
Secondary productivity: secondary production, the transformation, through consumption, of this biomass into other forms. Secondary production is the gain in biomass or reproduction of heterotrophs and decomposers. The rates of secondary production are very much lower than the rates of primary production.
Gross primary productivity: GPP, is the total amount of CO2 that is fixed by the plant in photosynthesis.
Net primary productivity: NPP, is the net amount of primary production after the costs of plant respiration are included. Therefore,
NPP = GPP – R
In the Mediterranean Shrublands, the total Net Primary Productivity is 1.4. This is an extremely low npp number reflecting the biome's low productivity. The shrubland biome is also more fire inclined, so these fires are another component of its productivity.
