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Which one of the following ecosystem types has the highest annual net primary productivity?
A
tropical deciduous forest
B
temperate evergreen forest
C
temperate deciduous forest
D
tropical rain forest
Detailed Solution
Net primary productivity (NPP) is the gross primary productivity minus the respiration losses of the producers; it is the biomass available to the heterotrophs.
Productivity depends on sunlight, temperature, rainfall and the availability of nutrients.
Tropical rain forests are found in the equatorial regions, where the temperature is high throughout the year and the rainfall exceeds 140 cm.
The warm, humid climate supports dense, broad-leaved evergreen vegetation arranged in several well-defined layers (stratification), which photosynthesises all the year round.
As a result the tropical rain forest has the highest annual net primary productivity among terrestrial ecosystems.
Deciduous forests shed their leaves in one season and temperate forests have a short growing season, so their productivity is lower.
So the answer is tropical rain forest.
Productivity depends on sunlight, temperature, rainfall and the availability of nutrients.
Tropical rain forests are found in the equatorial regions, where the temperature is high throughout the year and the rainfall exceeds 140 cm.
The warm, humid climate supports dense, broad-leaved evergreen vegetation arranged in several well-defined layers (stratification), which photosynthesises all the year round.
As a result the tropical rain forest has the highest annual net primary productivity among terrestrial ecosystems.
Deciduous forests shed their leaves in one season and temperate forests have a short growing season, so their productivity is lower.
So the answer is tropical rain forest.