Lesson 5 - Ecosystem Productivity Flashcards
What is primary productivity?
Rate at which plants produce biomass
Which biome is the most productive?
Tropical rainforest
1/3 of all global productivity
What is Gross Primary Production?
Total amount CO2 fixed by plants in one year
What is Net Primary Production?
GPP - losses through respiration
What are the 2 main controls on NPP?
Climate
Nutrients
Where does highest productivity occur?
Warm + wet land masses
Shallower bodies of water (photo)
What does the carbon storage capacity of soils depend on?
Input + output balance
What are the primary soil inputs + outputs?
Input - Plant/Animal remains, nutrients
Output - Decomposition, Erosion
What are the 3 carbon stores within the nutrient cycle?
Soil
Litter
Biomass
Which qualities does carbon provide soil with?
Fertility
Water retention capacity
Structure
What does the biomass store represent?
Amount nutrients stored within living organisms
What does the litter store represent?
Dead plant/animal tissue
