Primary Production - Overview

Overview

Primary production is the production of chemical energy in organic compounds by living organisms. The main source of this energy is sunlight but a minute fraction of primary production is driven by lithotrophic organisms using the chemical energy of inorganic molecules.

Regardless of its source, this energy is used to synthesize complex organic molecules from simpler inorganic compounds such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O). The following two equations are simplified representations of photosynthesis (top) and (one form of) chemosynthesis (bottom):

CO₂ + H₂O + light CH₂O + O₂

CO₂ + O₂ + 4 H₂S CH₂O + 4 S + 3 H₂O

In both cases, the end point is reduced carbohydrate (CH₂O), typically molecules such as glucose or other sugars. These relatively simple molecules may be then used to further synthesise more complicated molecules, including proteins, complex carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids, or be respired to perform work. Consumption of primary producers by heterotrophic organisms, such as animals, then transfers these organic molecules (and the energy stored within them) up the food web, fueling all of the Earth's living systems.