Primary Productivity in a Grassland Ecosystem

Group 3 BIO 150 U-2L

Introduction

Photosynthesis
- process of converting light energy to chemical energy and storing it in the bonds of sugar. -occurs in plants and some algae (Kingdom Protista)

-Plants need only light energy, CO2, and H2O to make sugar. -takes place in the chloroplasts, specifically using chlorophyll, the green pigment involved in photosynthesis.

6CO2 + 6H2O + light energy >>> C6H12O6 + 6O2

Primary Producers
-autotrophs -organisms that make their own food from sunlight and/or chemical energy from deep sea vents -base of every food chain

Primary Productivity
-rate at which plants and other photosynthetic organisms produce organic compounds in an ecosystem.

Biomass
- mass of organisms per unit area and is usually expressed in units of energy (e.g., joules m-2) or dry organic matter (e.g., tons ha -1 or grams m -2)

Harvest Method
- A productivity measuring technique, most commonly used for estimates of primary productivity especially in situations in which predation is low.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

- total amount of energy fixed by photosynthesis

Respiratory Heat (R)

- portion respired by the plant itself and is lost from the community

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

- amount of energy left after removing respiratory heat, R

NPP = GPP - R - actual rate of primary production available for consumption by heterotrophic organisms

SecondaryProductivity
- rate of biomass production by heterotrophs

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

NPP = (Wt+1 Wt) + D + H
Where, Wt+1 Wt : difference in the standing crop biomass between two harvest times D: biomass lost to decomposition H: biomass consumed by herbivores during the period between harvests

SHADED microsite Three 0.5 x 0.5 meter quadrat

OPEN microsite Three 0.5 x 0.5 meter quadrat

Identify the species and ovendry Compute NPP: NPP =dry weight (g) area (m2) time(day)

Identify the species (monocot & dicot) Cut the aboveground biomass

Harvest the regrowth after 21 days (separate monocot & dicot)

ANSWERS TO GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. The grass was cut at the start of the experiment in order to determine the changes in biomass of the present organisms at different period of times. These changes refer to the growths of the plants and the record of their biomasses as they grow back.

2.Some of the plants grew back since their roots remain intact but there were also some plant that grew even if they were not there initially because they may have been dispersed in that area.

 3. NPP was calculated using dry weight to consider only the organic matter present. The moisture is not organic so it must not be included in the actual biomass.

4. FACTORS AFFFECTING NPP: Temperature Light intensity Water Nutrients available

5. The NPP in these microhabitats are not the same throughout the year due to the changes in the environment including the changes in climate or season.

6. Secondary productivity is the rate at which an ecosystems consumers convert the chemical energy of the food they eat into their own new biomass.

Its relationship to primary productivity, which is the rate at which biomass is produced per unit area by plants, it is where the secondary productivity depends on. The heterotrophs, which exhibits secondary productivity, gets its energy by means of eating the plants which are the autotrophs that exhibits the primary productivity.

7. Highest: tropical rainforest Lowest: extreme desert

8. Hydrophonics - subset of hydroculture and is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions GMO crops altering genetic composition of plants/ producers to increase yield