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Primary Production

Primary Production

The total amount of energy acquired by primary producers in an ecosystem is called gross primary production (GPP). However, of this energy, producers use some for metabolic processes, and some is lost as heat, decreasing the amount of energy available to the next trophic level. The remaining usable amount of energy is called the net primary productivity (NPP). In terrestrial ecosystems, NPP is driven by climate, while light penetration and nutrient availability drive NPP in aquatic ecosystems.

Ecological Disturbance

Ecological Disturbance

An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced change in an ecosystem. The impact of an ecological disturbance, which can depend on its intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution, plays a significant role in shaping the species diversity within the ecosystem.

Keystone Species

Keystone Species

Measures of species biodiversity, such as richness (i.e., the number of species present) and evenness (i.e., their relative abundance), describe an ecological community’s structure. Many factors affect community structure, including abiotic factors (e.g., sunlight and nutrients), disturbances (e.g., fire or flood), species interactions (e.g., predation or competition), and chance events (e.g., foreign species invasion). Certain species—such as keystone species—also play a...

The Soil Ecosystem

The Soil Ecosystem

Plants obtain inorganic minerals and water from the soil, which acts as a natural medium for land plants. The composition and quality of soil depend not only on the chemical constituents but also on the presence of living organisms. In general, soils contain three major components:

Trophic Efficiency

Trophic Efficiency

Trophic level transfer efficiency (TLTE) is a measure of the total energy transfer from one trophic level to the next. Due to extensive energy loss as metabolic heat, an average of only 10% of the original energy obtained is passed on to the next level. This pattern of energy loss severely limits the possible number of trophic levels in a food chain.

What are Biogeochemical Cycles?

What are Biogeochemical Cycles?

The most common elements in organic molecules, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus, are only available in the ecosystem in limited amounts. Therefore, these nutrients must be recycled through both biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem, in processes generally called biogeochemical cycles.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 9, 2025

Author Spotlight: Understanding Riverine Nitrogen Impacts and Primary Productivity for Effective Nutrient Management

Author Spotlight: Understanding Riverine Nitrogen Impacts and Primary Productivity for Effective Nutrient Management

Published on: July 14, 2023

Tracking the impacts of nutrient inputs on estuary ecosystem function.

Alessandra L Suzzi¹, Troy F Gaston¹, Louise McKenzie²

¹College of Engineering, Science and Environment, University of Newcastle, Ourimbah, NSW, Australia.

The Science of the Total Environment

|December 19, 2021

Summary

Estuaries impacted by sewage can be monitored using microbial communities, which offer a sensitive and informative alternative to traditional methods like benthic macroinvertebrate assessment. This approach reveals nutrient sources and pollution impacts effectively.

Keywords:

Anthropogenic impacts Biomonitoring Coastal management Next-generation sequencing Stable isotope analysis Wastewater

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Last Updated: Oct 9, 2025

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Area of Science:

Environmental science
Marine biology
Ecotoxicology

Background:

Estuaries face significant global impacts from urban and industrial development, leading to concerns about sewage inputs.
Stable isotope analysis and benthic macroinvertebrate communities are established tools for assessing estuarine health but have limitations.
Microbial communities in estuaries are understudied for pollution assessment despite their potential as sensitive bioindicators.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the utility of benthic microbial communities as bioindicators in urban estuaries.
To compare microbial community responses with traditional methods like stable isotope analysis and macroinvertebrate assessments.
To identify sources of anthropogenic nitrogen pollution in estuarine systems.

Main Methods:

Stable isotope analysis of seagrass and epiphytes to trace nitrogen sources.
Assessment of benthic macroinvertebrate community structure and abundance.
16S rDNA amplicon sequencing for analyzing benthic microbial community composition and function.

Main Results:

Stable isotope analysis confirmed treated and untreated sewage as dominant nitrogen sources.
Benthic macroinvertebrate communities showed shifts in taxa and increased polychaete abundance at impacted sites.
Microbial communities in sediments provided sensitive and detailed responses to sewage inputs, including shifts in taxa and putative pathogens.

Conclusions:

Benthic microbial communities are rapid responders to anthropogenic stressors in urban estuaries.
Microbial community analysis offers a broader and more sensitive assessment of pollution than traditional methods.
Microbial communities show significant potential as a biomonitoring tool for urban estuarine environments.