Productivity In Ecosystem

Introduction

Productivity is an important part of the ecosystem which is based on the increased rate of biomass. The measurement of this process is mainly done by per unit area. Here biomass is an important aspect and it is a matter of dry mass. The factor of production depends on the ecosystem and the ecosystem consists of a specific number of producers, consumers, and decomposers. It depends on the two factors such as primary and secondary productivity.

Information regarding Productivity

It is seen that ecology shows productivity as the generation rate of biomass within an ecosystem. The net of this factor is related to the matter of dry mass.

Figure 1: Energy Division in Nature

Here, the concept of primary productivity refers to the productive system of the autotrophs just like the plants. On the other hand, secondary productivity is the concept of heterotrophs and animals are examples of this factor. The functions of an ecosystem is mainly measured by the services and goods produced per unit of time.

The most important matter in this part is that with the increase of time’s value, the importance of productivity also increases. Therefore, it can be described that it is an important factor that productivity is the rate of formation of biomass in the ecosystem. It can also be described as the accumulation of energy by the plants through the process of photosynthesis.

Concept of Ecosystem

The ecosystem of a place refers to the living and non-living entities of this place. The matter also includes the interaction between the entities of this area. The process of productivity also depends upon the factor of understanding the ecosystem of this area. Here, ecosystem includes many things such as fishes, trees, birds, insects, and different species of an area and their interaction.

Ecosystem is an important matter that decides the productivity of a place as ecosystem is controlled by the presence of weather, temperature, and land of an area. A change in the ecosystem, affects the community greatly. It is an important factor of an area as it decides the creation as well as regulation of soil, water, and nutrients of an area.

Primary Productivity

Primary Productivity is the concept of biomass generation from autotrophic organisms. An example of this factor is the plants and the process of photosynthesis is the main tool in this process. This kind of productivity is mainly divided into two parts and they are Gross primary productivity and Net primary productivity.

Figure 2: Ecological Productivity Explained through Food Chain

Here, gross primary productivity is the term that refers to the trapping of solar energy by the process of photosynthetic organism. All types of matters that are organic fall under the category of gross primary productivity. On the other hand, net primary productivity is described as the gross productivity minus energy lost in respiration.

It is described as the remaining part after the loss of energy. The energy is stored in plants for energy and it is used as food. The animals consume the foods and it is the amount of organic matter in a given time.

Secondary Productivity

The Secondary Productivity is mainly influenced by the heterotrophs within the ecosystem. It is nothing but the energy which is accumulated at the level of the consumer. Here, biomass generation is referred to as secondary productivity and the organic compounds helps driving this matter. The matter is also described as the biomass increase rate of the heterotrophs.

Some examples of secondary production are animals, bacteria, fungi, and other protists. The transformation of this type of productivity has happened between different trophic levels. The units of this matter are given by mass per unit volume per unit time.

Energy Movement in the Trophic Levels

It is seen that energy is the most important factor within an ecosystem and it passes from one trophic level to another. The movement happens when organic molecules present in the body of an organism are eaten by another organism. This transformation process is known as an efficient process and 10% of the energy is stored in the biomass. The process happens from the primary producers to the primary consumers.

Conclusion

The tutorial shows the importance of ecosystem as a part of productivity. Productivity mainly depends on different factors of the ecosystem and the matter including temperature, water, and land. Productivity is divided into two main parts and they are primary and secondary productivity. The factor is also described as the increased rate of biomass as per unit area. The productivity of ecology is mainly characterised as a pyramid structure and it is depicted as food web.

FAQs

Q1. What are the features of primary productivity?

Ans. The producers mainly carry it out and it is the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy. The conversion happens through the producers of an ecosystem in a certain time period. Here, photosynthesis is an important process in the formation of biomass.

Q2. What factors are responsible for the ecosystem problem?

Ans. It is seen that the components of an ecosystem are affected by some factors. The factors include solar radiation, moisture, temperature, biotic activities, mineral nutrition, and human population. They are the main reason for the destruction of the process of ecosystem.

Q3. What are the important functions of productivity within an ecosystem?

Ans. There are four functions important in this part and the functions are productivity, energy flow, decomposition, and nutrient cycling. The factors are responsible for bringing energy to the other living organisms such as the decomposer and consumers.

Q4. What factors are affecting the productivity of an ecosystem?

Ans. The factors affecting productivity include nutrients, water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight. These major factors affect the system of productivity.