Which of the following best describes gross primary productivity in an ecosystem?A. Gross primary productivity is the total amou
nt of energy captured by producers plus the energy used by consumers over time.B. Gross primary productivity is the total amount of energy captured by producers minus the energy that producers respire over time.C. Gross primary productivity is the total amount of energy lost as heat during energy transfer between trophic levels.D. Gross primary productivity is the total amount of solar energy captured by producers through photosynthesis over time.
D. Gross primary productivity is the total amount of solar energy captured by producers through photosynthesis over time.
Explanation:
The gross primary productivity of an ecosystem represents the rate at which the producers of the system capture the solar energy so that they can perform the process of photosynthesis. Therefore, GPP is the total amount of photosynthetic energy captured per unit area over a given time period. Producers consume the part of the GPP for their own respiration and maintenance. Therefore, gross primary productivity is the sum total of the growth of producers per unit area per unit time and the energy used by them for respiration.
