APES Topic 1.8

Flashcards covering primary productivity concepts, including definitions, formulas, and related factors.

Primary Productivity (PP)

The rate at which solar energy is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis over a unit of time.

Units of Primary Productivity

kcal/m²/year (energy per area per time)

High Primary Productivity

High plant growth with lots of food/shelter for animals. More biodiversity.

Biodiversity

Diversity of species in an area.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP) Equation

GPP - RL

Respiration Loss (RL)

Plants use up some of the energy they generate via photosynthesis by doing cellular respiration.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

The total amount of solar energy being converted to glucose via photosynthesis in a given area.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The amount of energy leftover/stored for consumers after plants have used some for respiration/energy storage.

Ecological Efficiency

Portion of solar energy captured by plants and turned into biomass (NPP/total solar energy).

Factors of NPP

Water, temperature, and nutrients.

The Depth of Red Light in Water

1 meter.

The Depth of Blue Light in Water

100 meters.