energy transfer

• biomass:

  • total mass of a living material in a given area at a given time
• measuring dry mass:

  • dry sample in an oven (heated)
  • weighed at regular intervals until mass is constant
  • shows that all the water has evaporated
• GPP: gross primary production

  • total amount of chemical energy in the plant biomass
• NPP: net primary production

  • chemical energy in plant biomass taking into account the loss from respiration
• equation for NPP

  NPP = GPP - R
• equation for NPP for consumers : 

  N = I - F + R

  I: ingested food

  F: faeces + urine

  R: respiration