BRAINCAKEGross Primary Production
Gross primary production (GPP) is the chemical energy store in plant biomass, in a given area or volume. It is the total chemical energy that producers take in by photosynthesis, before any is used.
GPP is usually expressed as a rate, called gross primary productivity, in units such as kJ m−2 yr−1 or kJ ha−1 yr−1. Giving a unit area and a unit time lets different ecosystems be compared fairly.
Only a small percentage of the light energy that reaches plants ends up in GPP, because:
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More in Energy and Ecosystems
- Trophic Levels
- Biomass
- Measuring Biomass - Dry Mass
- Calorimetry and Chemical Energy in Biomass
- Net Primary Production
- NPP = GPP - R
- Net Production of Consumers
- Efficiency of Energy Transfer
All 14 lessons in Energy and Ecosystems · All AQA A-level Biology topics