What does NPP stand for in ecological terms?

Net Primary Productivity (NPP) refers to the amount of organic material (biomass) produced by primary producers, such as plants, after accounting for the energy they use for respiration. This measure is crucial in ecology because it represents the energy available to the rest of the ecosystem, including herbivores and higher trophic levels. In essence, NPP is an indicator of the productivity of an ecosystem and reflects how much energy is harvested and stored by photosynthetic organisms.

Understanding NPP is fundamental in evaluating ecosystem health and productivity, as it can be affected by various factors including climate, nutrient availability, and ecosystem type. Therefore, it serves as a vital metric for ecologists studying energy flow and food web dynamics within different habitats.