Primary productivity is defined as

A. the adjusted amount of energy in an ecosystem due to energy use by organisms for respiration
B. the process where green plants and some other organisms convert light energy into chemical energy using carbon dioxide and water
C. the rate that plants and other photosynthetic organisms produce organic compounds
D. the overall amount of energy captured by plants and other photosynthetic organisms by the chloroplast

1 answer

The best definition of primary productivity is:

C. the rate that plants and other photosynthetic organisms produce organic compounds.

This definition captures the essence of primary productivity as it refers to the rate of production of organic materials through photosynthesis, which is fundamental to ecosystem functioning.