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.
When extreme drought strikes, drier grasslands receive the greatest productivity benefit from biodiversity. By contrast, forests did not show the same context-dependent pattern under drought, according to a new global synthesis ...
Ecology
Jul 15, 2026
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Marine scientists at UC Santa Barbara have found that disturbances to giant kelp forests have a major influence on their net primary productivity (NPP)—an indicator of an ecosystem's health and its ability to support its ...
Ecology
Jul 14, 2026
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Mississippi State scientists are building on two decades of irrigation research to identify production practices that help growers save water while improving crop yields.
Agriculture
Jul 10, 2026
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9
Forests are shaped by light competition. The trees that grow the tallest have access to the most sunlight, blocking the rays and rendering the shaded space around them inhospitable to shorter trees below. In this stem exclusion ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 8, 2026
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In a major step toward enhancing food security and exploring the potential to bring rice farming back to Hawaiʻi, an international research team has successfully cultivated premium Japanese rice varieties on Kauaʻi using ...
Agriculture
Jul 6, 2026
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In marine environments, sponges tend to eat other organisms to get their nutrients. But a study published in Functional Ecology by researchers at the University of Amsterdam's Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 1, 2026
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A new study from scientists at Purdue University reports that far-red radiation, in combination with increased carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration, significantly enhances biomass production in young leaf lettuce grown under ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 26, 2026
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Two complementary studies, appearing in HortScience, from Rutgers University are advancing the potential of amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) as a valuable leafy green by combining detailed morphological characterization with evaluations ...
Biotechnology
Jun 22, 2026
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Fungi are key constituents of the soil microbial community, playing a major role in moving carbon and energy through the soil food web. A recent analysis carried out by Professor Matthias C. Rillig from Freie Universität ...
Ecology
Jun 19, 2026
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Plants must carefully strike a balance between harvesting sunlight to fuel photosynthesis and protecting themselves from light damage. Part of this balancing act is performed by antenna proteins that are bound to light-harvesting ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 16, 2026
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