Productivity of Ecosystems
Productivity of ecosystems is the energy flow between trophic (feeding) levels of an ecosystem. Primary productivity is that made from sunlight by photosynthesis. The energy flow between trophic levels limits the food available. Ecosystem productivity changes can be caused by the seasons, disturbances, and biological diversity.
Ecosystems are complex dynamic systems made up of living organisms, their interactions, and their physical environment. These are the plants, animals that eat them and animals that prey on others, together with the soil and rainfall on which they all depend. Examples of ecosystems are ponds, desert, grasslands, forests, and oceans.
Ecosystem Productivity Changes reflect the amount of energy moving through an ecosystem, termed the net primary productivity, and is determined by the plants, algae, water, and sunlight.
The seasons, says Robinson et al. (2013) will change the amount of sunlight and rainfall entering an ecosystem and affect its productivity. The age of an ecosystem will also affect productivity with younger plants and animals actively growing and producing more biomass, or living mass. An…
