Final answer:
The gross productivity of an ecosystem represents the rate at which primary producers incorporate energy from the sun. This calculation helps understand energy transfer in ecosystems and provides insights into the efficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels.
Step-by-step explanation:
The gross productivity of an ecosystem is calculated by determining the amount of energy accumulated by the primary producers. It represents the rate at which photosynthetic primary producers incorporate energy from the sun. In the Silver Springs aquatic ecosystem example, the total energy accumulated by the primary producers (gross primary productivity) was 20,810 kcal/m²/yr.
This calculation helps in understanding energy transfer in ecosystems by quantifying the amount of energy available to primary consumers at the next trophic level. It provides insights into the efficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels and helps ecologists study the flow of energy through different organisms in an ecosystem.