Which ecosystem has the highest biomass productivity and why is not all the energy transferred to the herbivores converted into biomass?
Aquatic ecosystems, specifically marine ecosystems, generally have the highest biomass productivity compared to terrestrial ecosystems. This is primarily due to the abundance of sunlight, the primary energy source for photosynthesis, in the upper layers of the oceans.
Phytoplankton, microscopic plants that float near the surface of the water, are incredibly efficient at capturing solar energy and converting it into organic matter through photosynthesis. These phytoplankton form the base of the marine food web, providing a substantial amount of energy for higher trophic levels.
However, not all the energy transferred to herbivores (primary consumers) gets converted into biomass for several reasons:
All these factors contribute to the decrease in energy transfer efficiency as you move up the trophic levels in a food chain or web. This phenomenon is known as the "trophic transfer efficiency."
While the overall energy efficiency might be lower, it allows for a more diverse and stable ecosystem structure, as energy is spread throughout multiple trophic levels, supporting a variety of species and ecological interactions.
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Tropical rainforest this forest has high soil moisture, high availability of nutrients so it has high net primary productivity. Hence, they are the most stable ecosystem. Forest ecosystems have the maximum biomass, because it includes organisms of all trophic levels as compared to pond, lake or grasland ecosystem. In forest ecosystems productivityis also high that contributes to maximum biomass. In terrestrial ecosystems Tropical rain-forests show the highest productivity. In aquatic ecosystems, coral reefs have the highest productivity. Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, comparable to rain forests and coral reefs. Mangrove forest ecosystems grow in tropical and subtropical climates along the coastlines. Mangrove forests are among the most productive ecosystems on the planet. They store large amounts of nutrients which feed multiple species of mollusks, fish and crustaceans. Primary productivity in an ecosystem refers to the accumulation of energy in the form of biomass. Coral reefs have the highest productivity in aquatic ecosystems. In terrestrial ecosystems, tropical rainforests have the highest productivity. In the aquatic ecosystem, coral reefs show the highest gross primary productivity. Large numbers of aquatic phototrophs and phytoplankton contribute to the productivity of the ecosystem. Coral reefs are believed to have the greatest biodiversity. They provide habitats for around 25% of marine organisms. Coral reefs provide shelter for nearly one quarter of all known marine species. Over the last 240 million years, reefs have evolved into one of the largest and most complex ecosystems on the planet. Some energy is lost as heat produced as a product of respiration. Energy produced by respiration may be used for movement, reproduction etcTherefore not all energy will be converted into biomass or transferred to the next trophic level. Not all the energy is passed from one level of the food chain to the next. About 90 per cent of energy may be lost as heat (released during respiration), through movement, or in materials that the consumer does not digest. The energy stored in undigested materials can be transferred to decomposers. Biomass can be lost between stages because not all of the matter eaten by an organism is digested. Some of it is excreted as waste such as solid faces , carbon dioxide and water in respiration and water and urea in urine. Primary productivity in an ecosystem refers to the accumulation of energy in the form of biomass. Coral reefs have the highest productivity in aquatic ecosystems. In terrestrial ecosystems, tropical rainforests have the highest productivity. The biomass is maximum in a forest ecosystem because of their size and longevity of trees. Forest ecosystem has formed the most massive and complex ecosystems of the earth. The highest net primary productivity in terrestrial environments occurs in swamps and marshes and tropical rainforests; the lowest occurs in deserts. Kindly note that highest primary productivity is found in Tropical Forests, Estuaries and Swamps/ Marshes. Each of them produces around 9000 Kcal per meter² per year.
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