Biomass production, as a biological process, refers to the net accumulation of organic matter generated by living organisms through metabolic activities, predominantly via primary production (e.g., photosynthesis in plants, algae, and some bacteria) and, to a lesser extent, chemoautotrophy. It encompasses the assimilation of inorganic nutrients and carbon into cellular components such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, balanced by losses through respiration, excretion, and mortality. In ecological and biogeochemical research, biomass formation and turnover are quantified to characterize energy flow, trophic dynamics, and carbon cycling within and across ecosystems at cellular, population, and community scales.
A tree can sequester quite a bit of carbon, and forests can sequester and store quite a bit more, but knowing exactly how much is important for many reasons, from planning and management decisions to assessing a forest's ...
Ecology
Oct 8, 2025
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Cell walls don't just provide support and protection for plants—they're also packed with energy-rich biomaterials that could open new pathways for additional fuel, chemical, and material sources in the U.S. That's why biologists ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Sep 3, 2025
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34
Few of us ever think about what happens beneath our feet when we walk through a field of wheat or clover. We see the stalks, leaves, and flowers, but in practice we have no direct access to the roots.
Plants & Animals
Sep 1, 2025
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66
Forests play a central role in the global carbon cycle as trees store carbon in their trunks, branches, roots and leaves. However, climate change and human activities can change the ability of forests to absorb carbon and ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 1, 2025
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244
In a remarkable advancement for soil science, researchers from Japan have developed a novel method for estimating microbial biomass using water-extractable organic matter (WEOM) from air-dried soils.
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 26, 2025
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In a first-of-its-kind study, Stanford researchers have measured how the abundance of ocean life has changed over the past half-billion years of Earth's history.
Earth Sciences
Jun 25, 2025
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62
Plant cell wall components such as cellulose are abundant sources of carbohydrates that are widely used in biofuels and bioproducts; however, extraction of these components from plant biomass is relatively difficult due to ...
Biotechnology
Jun 18, 2025
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47
As the new Biomass satellite settles into life in orbit following its launch on April 29, ESA has released its most extensive satellite-based maps of above-ground forest carbon to date. Spanning nearly two decades, the dataset ...
Earth Sciences
May 5, 2025
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46
Waste-to-nutrition technologies aim to transform residual organic waste (such as forestry and agricultural residues, manure, green residues and food waste) into ingredients for human or animal consumption. They are often ...
Environment
Mar 19, 2025
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127
Following its arrival at Pariacabo harbor in Kourou, French Guiana, ESA's Biomass satellite has been rolled out of its shipment container, which kept it protected throughout its two-week voyage from France across the Atlantic ...
Space Exploration
Mar 17, 2025
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