Question

Which of the following statements best describes the concept of GPP (Gross Primary Productions)?

a) Total amount of energy available to primary consumers.
b) Total amount of energy available from the Sun.
c) Total amount of solar energy that producers capture via

Answer 1

Gross Primary Production (GPP) represents the total solar energy captured by producers in an ecosystem. Net Primary Production (NPP) is what remains after producers' respiration and is available for other trophic levels. NPP is thus the actual energy transferred to primary consumers.

Step-by-step explanation:

The concept of Gross Primary Production (GPP) refers to the total amount of solar energy that producers, such as plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria, capture through photosynthesis. GPP is critical because it represents the total energy input into an ecosystem. However, not all the energy captured in GPP is available to other organisms in the ecosystem. Producers use some of this energy for their own metabolic processes such as growth and reproduction, referred to as respiration and heat loss.

Therefore, the Net Primary Production (NPP) is the amount of energy that remains after accounting for the energy used by the producers themselves. This net productivity becomes available to the primary consumers in the ecosystem. So, while GPP indicates the rate at which energy is first captured, NPP indicates the amount of energy that is actually available for the other trophic levels beyond the producers.