Biological productivity refers to the rate at which living organisms convert inorganic or organic substrates into new biomass within an ecosystem, typically quantified as primary or secondary productivity. Primary productivity is driven mainly by photosynthetic or chemosynthetic autotrophs that fix carbon, often expressed as mass of carbon per unit area and time (e.g., g C m⁻² yr⁻¹), and is constrained by factors such as light, nutrient availability, temperature, and hydrodynamics. Secondary productivity denotes biomass production by heterotrophs consuming primary producers or other consumers. Biological productivity underpins trophic dynamics, biogeochemical cycling, and energy flow in terrestrial and aquatic systems.
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