APES Mod 6: Primary Productivity

producers

Plants, algae, and some bacteria that use the Sun’s energy to produce usable forms of energy, such as sugars. Also known as autotrophs.

Cellular respiration

The process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds.

Anaerobic respiration

The process by which cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen.

Primary productivity

The rate of converting solar energy into organic compounds over a period of time.

Gross primary productivity (GPP)

The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time.

Net primary productivity (NPP)

The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire.

Biomass

The total mass of all living matter in a specific area.

Standing crop

The amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time.