On ecosystem production

Resumo

We have discussed some aspects of the production and efficiency of energy use in aquatic ecosystems. Ecosystem production is defined as the difference between the gross total primary production and total expenditures for metabolic processes in all organisms of the ecosystem. We have obtained equations showing the dependence of ecosystem production on the average depth of a waterbody and the share of the primary production of phytoplankton in the total production. The mean value of the coefficient of ecosystem efficiency in some waterbodies (53%) indicates that aquatic ecosystems use energy efficiently. The efficiency of the energy use increases with an increase in the biomass turnover rate. High production in the ecosystem can be obtained if its structure is simpler.