A student calculates the amount of plant biomass produced by a field during one season.He defines this as the gross primary production of the field.Is this correct, and why or why not?
A) Yes; it represents the total amount of energy received from the sun and stored by plants.
B) Yes; it represents the total amount of energy available to consumers, which is the GPP.
C) Possibly; it represents the production that could be measured, but not necessarily all production.
D) No; it represents net primary production, because it does not measure energy lost during respiration.
E) No; it represents net primary production, which includes both available production and energy lost as heat.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Gross Primary Production (GPP) is the total amount of chemical energy as biomass that primary producers create in a given length of time. Net Primary Production (NPP) is the biomass produced by plants after subtracting the energy they use for respiration. The student's calculation of plant biomass produced does not account for the energy plants consume through respiration, thus it better represents NPP, not GPP.

A Student Calculates the Amount of Plant Biomass Produced by a Field