Which statement best describes secondary production in freshwater ecosystems?

Which statement best describes secondary production in freshwater ecosystems?

• A. Autotrophic synthesis of organic matter
• B. Heterotrophic growth of consumers
• C. Photosynthetic rate
• D. Nutrient uptake by plants

Answer: (B)

Secondary production is the growth and biomass accumulation of heterotrophic organisms that obtain energy by consuming organic matter produced by others. In freshwater ecosystems, primary producers like algae and aquatic plants fix carbon through photosynthesis, and some of that energy becomes new biomass in herbivores and then in predators as they grow and reproduce. That growth of the consumer community is what secondary production measures. The other options describe processes tied to autotrophs or primary production—autotrophic synthesis of organic matter, the rate of photosynthesis, or nutrient uptake by plants—which do not capture the biomass growth of consumers.

Secondary production is the growth and biomass accumulation of heterotrophic organisms that obtain energy by consuming organic matter produced by others. In freshwater ecosystems, primary producers like algae and aquatic plants fix carbon through photosynthesis, and some of that energy becomes new biomass in herbivores and then in predators as they grow and reproduce. That growth of the consumer community is what secondary production measures. The other options describe processes tied to autotrophs or primary production—autotrophic synthesis of organic matter, the rate of photosynthesis, or nutrient uptake by plants—which do not capture the biomass growth of consumers.