TITLE

An assessment of the net primary productivity of two grassland ecosystems

through the use of the direct method

INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Energy in an ecosystem flows from the producers to the consumers. At the first
trophic level, primary producers or autotrophs undergo photosynthesis to make organic
plant materials. At the second trophic level are the herbivores which only eat plants. The
third trophic level comprises of animals which eat herbivores. Organisms which feed at
different trophic levels are grouped in the higest trophic levels (Annenberg Learner, n.d.).
Between the trophic levels only about 10 percent of the energy produced is passed on.
Production is the creation of new organic matter by photosynthesis and is
expressed as the rate of formation of new material, per unit of earth's surface, per unit of
time (g/m2/week). It can be measured by the rate of photosynthesis or the rate of
increase in the plant biomass. On the other hand, the measure of the biomass at a
specific point in time is called the standing crop. Standing crop is expressed in grams
per sq meter. The gross primary productivity (GPP) of the ecosystem is the total amount
of organic matter that it produces through photosynthesis. Net primary productivity
(NPP) is the amount of energy that remains available for plant growth after subtracting
the fraction that plants use for respiration (University of Michigan, 2008).
In this experiment, vegetation was collected from sq meter plots at weekly
intervals to be able to determine the productivity in grassland ecosystems. The
productivity was determined by computing the total net production divided by the number
of weeks.
B. Objectives
1. Assess the trend of production and productivity in the given study sites
2. Determine the major factors that limit productivity in terrestrial ecosystems
C. Significance of the Study
As previously mentioned, energy in an ecosystem flows from the producers to
the consumers. The energy acquired by higher trophic levels is less than the energy
acquired by lower trophic levels. The study of production allows for the calculation of the
amount of energy available for organisms to consume after respiration by producers. It
will help determine the abundance of organisms at higher trophic levels.
RESULTS
Table 1: Above ground and below ground weights, terrestrial productivity and total production of
the land in Laguna for five weeks.
Week

Above Ground

Below Ground

750

300

Total Net
Production
(g/m2)
1050

Productivity
(g/m2/week)
1050

350

400

750

375

1480

1225

2705

902

1683

1351

3034

758.5

1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Figure 1: Productivity of the land in Laguna vs weeks passed

Plant species:
Week 0:
Above ground: 135g
Below ground:75g

Table 2: Above ground and below ground weights, terrestrial productivity and total production of
the land in Alabang for five weeks
Week

Above Ground

Below Ground
308

Total Production
(g/m2)
837

Productivity
(g/m2/week)
837

529

452

332.9

784.9

392.45

557

189.7

746.7

248.9

586.5

356.2

942.7

235.675

Plant Species:
Cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica)
Makahiya (Mimosa pudica)
Week 0:
Above ground: 496g
Below ground: 271.5g
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Figure 2: Productivity of the land in Alabang vs weeks passed

DISCUSSION
The method used in measuring the net primary productivity of the given sites is called
the direct method, which is based on biomass - determined by harvesting and weighing of all
organic matter present in a unit area of the ecosystem. Also known as the harvest method, this
technique is best applied on herbaceous vegetation or grassland ecosystems. Egunjobi (1969)
mentions that to obtain reliable figures from clipping of quadrats, it is necessary to clip the

growth at its maximum biomass before losses start to occur (Egunjobi, 1969). This presents no
problem to the current study sites given the duration of study, which is short and completely
coincides with the wet season of the Philippines.
We find from the recorded data that the quadrats from the rural study site from Binan,
Laguna that the average net productivity is calculated at ___ g/m2/week. This is a significantly
higher measure than the urban study site in Alabang, which is calculated at ___ g/m2 week. The
purpose of weighing biomass for Week 0 is to serve as the standard primary production the
basis for comparison for the measured production in the succeeding weeks. In general, we find
a steady increase in net primary production as weeks pass, but productivity is found to be
fluctuating for Laguna and decreasing for Alabang. The ANP or the Above-Ground Net
Production is found to be generally higher than the BNP or the Below-Ground Net Production,
except in one week in the Laguna study site. Several factors may have caused this significant
difference productivity between study sites. The same factors may also explain the phenomenon
of increasing production but fluctuating productivity.
An array of environmental factors influences the production of terrestrial ecosystems
(Smith & Smith, 2012). Water availability may be the biggest limitation to plant growth in over
40% of the planets vegetated surface and thus precipitation variability may be considered as
a major driver of above-ground net primary production (Hsu, 2011). The consistent increase in
production as the weeks pass is indicative of the consistent presence of rainfall in these study
sites. Being both in a tropical region where precipitation is high along with temperature,
quadrats from both sites are guaranteed to have increasing production. Net primary production
increases with mean annual temperature and rainfall increasing mean annual rainfall in turn is
directly related to the annual intercepted solar radiation. As a result, sites with a higher mean
annual temperature typically support higher rates of photosynthesis and are associated with a
longer time period over which photosynthesis can occur (Smith & Smith, 2012).
The fluctuating and decreasing productivity for Laguna and Alabang respectively is due
to other factors present in the quadrats individual microclimates. On scales of seconds to hours,
primary production during the growing season responds to environmental drivers of
photosynthesis, generally increasing with photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) or the
spectrum of solar radiation available to power photosynthesis. At the seasonal scale, seasonal
precipitation patterns often dictate cycles of high and low primary production (Gough, 2012).
Week 1 in Alabang for example, was noted to experience heavy rains. Week 2, 3, 4 were noted
to be considerably dry, which accounts for the decrease in water supply and thus productivity in
Alabang. Lagunas fluctuations are similarly attributed to weather Week 1 and week 3 being
characterized by rains.
The difference in net production and productivity between the Laguna and Alabang study
sites might similarly be due to a slight difference in temperature and moisture stress. The
Alabang site should theoretically be hotter, being part of an urban area. It was similarly
observed that there is no nearby water source, as opposed to the Laguna study site which is
said to be close to a sewer that may occasionally have overflows. Because the air is warmer in
Alabang, there is an increase in potential for evaporation and increased rates of transpiration
and water demand. The interplay between hotter temperatures and low water availability leads
to a lower productivity measured (Smith & Smith, 2012).
The general higher ANP than BNP data is an indication of the plant species attempt to
balance acquisition of light and water for photosynthesis. During these times where ANP is
higher the plants in the quadrats are assumed to be still capable of acquiring the water it needs

from the soil. Biomass is thus reserved for longitudinal shoot growth and an leaf area
expansion. This favors acquisition of greater amount of solar radiation, which aids in a greater
rate of photosynthesis and primary production.
The unusual higher BNP than ANP in the Laguna week 2 data might be due to an
existing moisture stress during that time frame. Mild moisture stress might not significantly affect
photosynthesis, but it can reduce the development of leaf surface area. A reduction in leaf
surface may affect the dry matter yields in Laguna, seeing that the leaf area index (leaf are per
unit land area) of its leaves are low, meaning limiting to the plants assimilation of CO2
(Haferkamp, 1988). Growth is subsequently favoured below ground, so that roots may be able
to reach a farther water source deeper through the topsoil. The result thus of mild moisture
stress is a decrease in the ANP yield, and an increase in BNP.
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
Annenberg Learner (n.d.). Energy Flow Through Ecosystems. Retrieved July 25, 2013 from
http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/unit/text.php?unit=4&secNum=3
Egunjobi, J. (1969). Primary Productiity and Nutrient Cycling in Terrestrial Ecosystems. Tuatara.
Gough, C. (2012). Terrestrial Primary Production: Fuel for Life. Nature Education Knowledge.
Haferkamp, M. (1988). Environmental Factors Affecting Plant Productivity. Achieving Efficient
Use of Rangeland Resources. Fort Koegh Research Symposium.
Hsu, J. S. (2011). Potential Effects of Altered Precipitation Regimes on Primary Production in
Terrrestrial Ecosystems. Graduate Theses and Dissertation: Utah State University.
Kimball, J. (2011). Ecosystem Productivity. Retrieved July 25, 2013 from
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/N/NetProductivity.html
Smith, T., & Smith, R. (2012). Elements of Ecology, 8th Ed. Singapore: Pearson Education, Inc.
University of Michigan. (2008). The Flow of Energy: Primary Production to Higher Trophic Level.
Retrieved July 25, 2013 from http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/
current/lectures/kling/energyflow/energyflow.html