Question

Which of the following best describes gross primary productivity in an ecosystem?

A) Total energy captured by producers
B) Energy available to consumers
C) Energy lost through respiration
D) Net energy gain after trophic levels

Answer 1

Gross primary productivity is best described as the total energy captured by producers, and indicates the total amount of solar energy that primary producers convert to chemical energy via photosynthesis.

Step-by-step explanation:

Which of the following best describes gross primary productivity in an ecosystem? The correct answer is A) Total energy captured by producers. Gross primary productivity refers to the rate at which photoautotrophs, such as plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria, convert solar energy into chemical energy during photosynthesis. It represents the total amount of energy that these primary producers incorporate over a certain period.

However, not all of this energy is available to other organisms in the ecosystem. This is because primary producers use some of the energy for their own biological functions, such as growth and reproduction. The energy that is used by the producers for metabolism and lost as heat is not part of the gross primary productivity, but rather, it is accounted for when calculating the net primary productivity, which is the energy that remains in the producers after these deductions, and is available to primary consumers at the next trophic level.