Energy Transfers Process

• Plants are the primary producers in the food chain as they can produce their own carbohydrates
• Between trophic levels, most energy is lost due to respiration and excretion
• Remaining energy forms biomass, which is used to make new organisms
• Gross Primary Production (GPP) is the total amount of energy that plants can convert into biomass
• Net Primary Production (NPP) is the total amount of energy that is available to the ecosystem from the chemical energy stored in the organic matter
• NPP = GPP - R
• N = I - F + R

  • N = Net Production
  • I = Ingested
  • F = Faeces/Excretion
  • R = Respiration
• Rates of Productivity = kJha-1year-1

  • Per Unit = standardised