Biology / Unit 14 Bio 3689 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Gross and Net Primary Productivity and Ecological Pyramids
Captions available
The idea
Gross primary productivity is the energy producers fix; net primary productivity is what remains after their own respiration, the energy an energy pyramid narrows by.
In practice
A forest with high gross productivity but heavy respiration can show lower net productivity than a marsh fixing less energy.
Where people slip
A pyramid of energy always narrows upward, but a pyramid of numbers or biomass can invert.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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