Editing Biomass (ecology)

{{Short description|Total mass of living organisms in a given area (all species or selected species)}}
{{About|the ecological measure|the renewable energy source|Biomass (energy)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Multiple image
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 | image1    = 7 - Itahuania - Août 2008.JPG
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 | caption1  = The total global live biomass has been estimated at 550 billion tonnes carbon,<ref name="Bar-On"/> most of which is found in forests.
 | image2    = Klamath river estuary.jpg
 | alt2      =
 | caption2  = Shallow aquatic environments, such as [[wetland]]s, [[estuaries]] and [[coral reef]]s, can be as productive as forests, generating similar amounts of new biomass each year on a given area.<ref name="ecology" />
}}

'''Biomass''' is the [[mass]] of living biological [[organism]]s in a given area or [[ecosystem]] at a given time. Biomass can refer to ''species biomass'', which is the mass of one or more species, or to ''community biomass'', which is the mass of all species in the community. It can include [[microorganisms]], plants or animals.<ref>{{GoldBookRef|title=biomass|file=B00660}}</ref> The mass can be expressed as the average mass per unit area, or as the total mass in the community.

How biomass is measured depends on why it is being measured. Sometimes, the biomass is regarded as the natural mass of organisms ''in situ'', just as they are. For example, in a [[salmon]] [[fishery]], the salmon biomass might be regarded as the total wet weight the salmon would have if they were taken out of the water. In other contexts, biomass can be measured in terms of the dried organic mass, so perhaps only 30% of the actual weight might count, the rest being [[water]]. For other purposes, only biological tissues count, and teeth, bones and shells are excluded. In some applications, biomass is measured as the mass of [[Organic carbon|organically bound carbon]] (C) that is present.

In 2018, Bar-On et al. estimated the total live biomass on [[Earth]] at about 550 billion (5.5×10<sup>11</sup>) tonnes C,<ref name="Bar-On">{{cite journal | vauthors = Bar-On YM, Phillips R, Milo R | title = The biomass distribution on Earth | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | volume = 115 | issue = 25 | pages = 6506–6511 | date = June 2018 | pmid = 29784790 | pmc = 6016768 | doi = 10.1073/pnas.1711842115 | bibcode = 2018PNAS..115.6506B | doi-access = free }}</ref> most of it in plants. In 1998 Field et.al. estimated the total annual net [[primary production]] of biomass at just over 100 billion tonnes C/yr.<ref name=Behrenfeld /> The total live biomass of [[bacteria]] was once thought to be about the same as plants,<ref name="Whitman etal">{{cite journal |vauthors=Whitman WB, Coleman DC, Wiebe WJ |date=June 1998 |title=Prokaryotes: the unseen majority |url=http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/95/12/6578.pdf |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=95 |issue=12 |pages=6578–6583 |bibcode=1998PNAS...95.6578W |doi=10.1073/pnas.95.12.6578 |pmc=33863 |pmid=9618454 |doi-access=free |archive-date=20 August 2008 |access-date=19 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820171651/http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/95/12/6578.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> but recent studies suggest it is significantly less.<ref name="Bar-On"/><ref name="Kallmeyer">{{cite journal |vauthors=Kallmeyer J, Pockalny R, Adhikari RR, Smith DC, D'Hondt S |date=October 2012 |title=Global distribution of microbial abundance and biomass in subseafloor sediment |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=109 |issue=40 |pages=16213–16216 |bibcode=2012PNAS..10916213K |doi=10.1073/pnas.1203849109 |pmc=3479597 |pmid=22927371 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="EA-20181211">{{cite news |author=Deep Carbon Observatory |date=10 December 2018 |title=Life in deep Earth totals 15 to 23 billion tons of carbon – hundreds of times more than humans – Deep Carbon Observatory collaborators, exploring the 'Galapagos of the deep,' add to what's known, unknown, and unknowable about Earth's most pristine ecosystem |work=[[EurekAlert!]] |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/tca-lid120318.php |access-date=11 December 2018 |archive-date=10 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610174104/https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/tca-lid120318.php |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="SA-20181211">{{cite news |last=Dockrill |first=Peter |date=11 December 2018 |title=Scientists Reveal a Massive Biosphere of Life Hidden Under Earth's Surface |work=Science Alert |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-lift-lid-on-massive-biosphere-of-life-hidden-under-earth-s-surface |access-date=11 December 2018 |archive-date=10 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610115848/https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-lift-lid-on-massive-biosphere-of-life-hidden-under-earth-s-surface |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="TI-20181211">{{cite news |last=Gabbatiss |first=Josh |date=11 December 2018 |title=Massive 'deep life' study reveals billions of tonnes of microbes living far beneath Earth's surface |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/deep-life-microbes-underground-bacteria-earth-surface-carbon-observatory-science-study-a8677521.html |access-date=11 December 2018 |archive-date=9 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200209215458/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/deep-life-microbes-underground-bacteria-earth-surface-carbon-observatory-science-study-a8677521.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The total number of [[DNA]] [[base pair]]s on Earth, as a possible approximation of [[global biodiversity]], is estimated at {{val|5.3|3.6|e=37}}, and weighs 50 billion [[tonne]]s.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Landenmark HK, Forgan DH, Cockell CS | title = An Estimate of the Total DNA in the Biosphere | journal = PLOS Biology | volume = 13 | issue = 6 | pages = e1002168 | date = June 2015 | pmid = 26066900 | pmc = 4466264 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002168 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref name="NYT-20150718-rn">{{cite news | last=Nuwer | first=Rachel | author-link=Rachel Nuwer | name-list-style=vanc | date=18 July 2015 | title=Counting All the DNA on Earth | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/21/science/counting-all-the-dna-on-earth.html | work=The New York Times | location=New York | issn=0362-4331 | access-date=2015-07-18 | archive-date=18 July 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150718153742/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/21/science/counting-all-the-dna-on-earth.html | url-status=live }}</ref><!--- PLOS paper cited by NYT used 'tonne' unit. ---> Anthropogenic mass (human-made material) is expected to exceed all living biomass on earth at around the year 2020.<ref name="Elhacham">{{cite journal |last1=Elhacham |first1=Emily |last2=Ben-Uri |first2=Liad |display-authors=etal. |date=2020 |title=Global human-made mass exceeds all living biomass |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=588 |issue=7838 |pages=442–444 |bibcode=2020Natur.588..442E |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-3010-5 |pmid=33299177 |s2cid=228077506}}</ref>

==Ecological pyramids==
{{Main|Ecological pyramid}}
[[File:Ecological Pyramid.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|An [[energy pyramid]] illustrates how much energy is needed as it flows upward to support the next trophic level. Only about 10% of the energy transferred between each trophic level is converted to biomass.]]

An ecological pyramid is a graphical representation that shows, for a given [[ecosystem]], the relationship between biomass or [[primary production|biological productivity]] and [[trophic level]]s.
* A ''biomass pyramid'' shows the amount of biomass at each trophic level.
* A ''productivity pyramid'' shows the [[Primary production|production]] or [[Trophic dynamics|turn-over]] in biomass at each trophic level.

An ecological pyramid provides a snapshot in time of an [[biocoenosis|ecological community]].

The bottom of the pyramid represents the primary producers ([[autotroph]]s). The primary producers take energy from the environment in the form of sunlight or inorganic chemicals and use it to create energy-rich molecules such as carbohydrates. This mechanism is called [[primary production]]. The pyramid then proceeds through the various trophic levels to the [[apex predator]]s at the top.

When energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next, typically only ten percent is used to build new biomass. The remaining ninety percent goes to metabolic processes or is dissipated as heat. This energy loss means that productivity pyramids are never inverted, and generally limits food chains to about six levels. However, in oceans, biomass pyramids can be wholly or partially inverted, with more biomass at higher levels.

==Terrestrial biomass==
[[File:Terrestrial biomass.svg|thumb|upright=1.4| {{center|{{space|5}}'''Relative terrestrial biomasses'''<br />of vertebrates versus arthropods}}]]

Terrestrial biomass generally decreases markedly at each higher [[trophic level]] (plants, herbivores, carnivores). Examples of terrestrial [[Autotroph|producers]] are grasses, trees and shrubs. These have a much higher biomass than the animals that [[Heterotroph|consume them]], such as deer, zebras and insects. The level with the least biomass are the highest [[predator]]s in the [[food chain]], such as foxes and eagles.

In a temperate grassland, grasses and other plants are the primary producers at the bottom of the pyramid. Then come the primary consumers, such as grasshoppers, voles and bison, followed by the secondary consumers, shrews, hawks and small cats. Finally the tertiary consumers, large cats and wolves. The biomass pyramid decreases markedly at each higher level.

Changes in plant species in the terrestrial ecosystem can result in changes in the biomass of soil decomposer communities.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Spehn |first1=Eva M. |last2=Joshi |first2=Jasmin |last3=Schmid |first3=Bernhard |last4=Alphei |first4=Jörn |last5=Körner |first5=Christian |date=2000 |title=
Plant diversity effects on soil heterotrophic activity in experimental grassland ecosystems |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1023/A:1004891807664 |journal=Plant and Soil |volume=224 |issue=2 |pages=217–230 |doi=10.1023/A:1004891807664|s2cid=25639544 }}</ref> Biomass in [[C3 carbon fixation|C<sub>3</sub>]] and [[C4 carbon fixation|C<sub>4</sub>]] plant species can change in response to altered concentrations of CO<sub>2</sub>.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=He |first1=Jin-Sheng |last2=Bazzaz |first2=Fakhri A. |last3=Schmid |first3=Bernhard |date=2002 |title=Interactive Effects of Diversity, Nutrients and Elevated CO2 on Experimental Plant Communities |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3547655 |journal=Oikos |volume=97 |issue=3 |pages=337–348 |doi=10.1034/j.1600-0706.2002.970304.x |jstor=3547655 |bibcode=2002Oikos..97..337H |issn=0030-1299}}</ref> C<sub>3</sub> plant species have been observed to increase in biomass in response to increasing concentrations of CO<sub>2</sub> of up to 900 ppm.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Drag | first1=David W | last2=Slattery | first2=Rebecca | last3=Siebers | first3=Matthew | last4=DeLucia | first4=Evan H | last5=Ort | first5=Donald R | last6=Bernacchi | first6=Carl J | title=Soybean photosynthetic and biomass responses to carbon dioxide concentrations ranging from pre-industrial to the distant future | journal=Journal of Experimental Botany | publisher=Oxford University Press (OUP) | volume=71 | issue=12 | date=2020-03-12 | issn=0022-0957 | doi=10.1093/jxb/eraa133 | pages=3690–3700| pmid=32170296 | pmc=7475242 }}</ref>

==Ocean biomass==
{{marine food chain}}
{{see also|Marine life}}

Ocean or marine biomass, in a reversal of terrestrial biomass, can increase at higher trophic levels. In the ocean, the food chain typically starts with phytoplankton, and follows the course:
<blockquote>
Phytoplankton → zooplankton → predatory zooplankton → [[filter feeder]]s → predatory fish
</blockquote>

[[File:Arctic food web.svg|thumb|320px|left| {{center|[[Ocean food web]] showing a network of food chains}}]]
[[File:Numbers Pyramid.svg|thumb|250px| {{center|'''[[Biomass pyramid]]s'''<br />Compared to terrestrial biomass pyramids, aquatic pyramids are inverted at the base}}]]
[[File:Prochlorococcus marinus (cropped).jpg|thumb|150px| {{center|''[[Prochlorococcus]]'', an influential bacterium}}]]

[[Phytoplankton]] are the main [[primary producer]]s at the bottom of the marine [[food chain]]. Phytoplankton use [[photosynthesis]] to convert inorganic carbon into [[protoplasm]]. They are then consumed by zooplankton that range in size from a few micrometers in diameter in the case of [[protist]]an microzooplankton to macroscopic gelatinous and crustacean [[zooplankton]].

[[Zooplankton]] comprise the second level in the food chain, and includes small [[crustacean]]s, such as [[copepod]]s and [[krill]], and the [[larva]] of fish, squid, lobsters and crabs.

In turn, small zooplankton are consumed by both larger predatory zooplankters, such as [[krill]], and by [[forage fish]], which are small, schooling, [[filter feeding|filter-feeding]] fish. This makes up the third level in the food chain.

A fourth trophic level can consist of predatory fish, marine mammals and seabirds that consume forage fish. Examples are [[swordfish]], [[Pinniped|seals]] and [[gannet]]s.

Apex predators, such as [[orca]]s, which can consume seals, and [[shortfin mako shark]]s, which can consume swordfish, make up a fifth trophic level. [[Baleen whale]]s can consume zooplankton and krill directly, leading to a food chain with only three or four trophic levels.

Marine environments can have inverted biomass pyramids. In particular, the biomass of consumers (copepods, krill, shrimp, forage fish) is larger than the biomass of primary producers. This happens because the ocean's primary producers are tiny phytoplankton which are [[r-strategists]] that grow and reproduce rapidly, so a small mass can have a fast rate of primary production. In contrast, terrestrial primary producers, such as forests, are [[K-strategists]] that grow and reproduce slowly, so a much larger mass is needed to achieve the same rate of primary production.

Among the phytoplankton at the base of the [[marine food web]] are members from a phylum of bacteria called [[cyanobacteria]]. Marine cyanobacteria include the smallest known [[Photosynthesis|photosynthetic]] organisms. The smallest of all, ''[[Prochlorococcus]]'', is just 0.5 to 0.8 micrometres across.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Kettler GC, Martiny AC, Huang K, Zucker J, Coleman ML, Rodrigue S, Chen F, Lapidus A, Ferriera S, Johnson J, Steglich C, Church GM, Richardson P, Chisholm SW | title = Patterns and implications of gene gain and loss in the evolution of Prochlorococcus | journal = PLOS Genetics | volume = 3 | issue = 12 | pages = e231 | date = December 2007 | pmid = 18159947 | pmc = 2151091 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pgen.0030231 | doi-access = free }}</ref> In terms of individual numbers, Prochlorococcus is possibly the most plentiful [[species]] on Earth: a single millilitre of surface seawater can contain 100,000 cells or more. Worldwide, there are estimated to be several [[octillion]] (10<sup>27</sup>) individuals.<ref>{{Cite APOD |date=27 September 2006 |title=Earth from Saturn }}</ref> ''Prochlorococcus'' is ubiquitous between 40°N and 40°S and dominates in the [[oligotroph]]ic (nutrient poor) regions of the oceans.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Partensky F, Hess WR, Vaulot D | title = Prochlorococcus, a marine photosynthetic prokaryote of global significance | journal = Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews | volume = 63 | issue = 1 | pages = 106–127 | date = March 1999 | pmid = 10066832 | pmc = 98958 | doi = 10.1128/MMBR.63.1.106-127.1999 }}</ref> The bacterium accounts for an estimated 20% of the [[oxygen]] in the Earth's [[atmosphere]], and forms part of the base of the ocean [[food chain]].<ref name="npr">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91448837|title=The Most Important Microbe You've Never Heard Of|website=npr.org|access-date=3 April 2018|archive-date=19 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019060753/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91448837|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Bacterial biomass==
[[Bacteria]] and [[archaea]] are both classified as [[prokaryote]]s, and their biomass is commonly estimated together. The global biomass of prokaryotes is estimated at 30 billion tonnes C,<ref name=":0" /> dominated by bacteria.<ref name="Bar-On" />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Geographic location
!Number of cells (× 10{{sup|29}})
!Billion tonnes of carbon
|-
| {{center|Open ocean}}
| {{center|1.2<ref name="Bar-On" /><ref name="Whitman etal"/>}}
| {{center|1.6<ref name="Bar-On" /> to 2.2<ref name="Whitman etal" />}}
|-
| {{center|Ocean subsurface}}
| {{center|5<ref name=":0" />}}
| {{center|10<ref name=":0" />}}
|-
| {{center|Terrestrial soil}}
| {{center|3<ref name="Bar-On" />}}
| {{center|8<ref name="Bar-On" />}}
|-
| {{center|Terrestrial subsurface}}
| {{center|2 to 6<ref name=":0" />}}
| {{center|4 to 12<ref name=":0" />}}
|-
| {{center|'''Total'''}}
| {{center|'''11 to 15'''<ref name=":0" />}}
| {{center|'''23 to 31'''<ref name=":0" />}}
|}

The estimates for the global biomass of prokaryotes had changed significantly over recent decades, as more data became available. A much-cited study from 1998<ref name="Whitman etal" /> collected data on abundances (number of cells) of bacteria and archaea in different natural environments, and estimated their total biomass at 350 to 550 billion tonnes C. This vast amount is similar to the biomass of carbon in all plants.<ref name="Bar-On" /><ref name="Whitman etal" /> The vast majority of bacteria and archaea were estimated to be in sediments deep below the seafloor or in the deep terrestrial biosphere (in deep continental aquifers). However, updated measurements reported in a 2012 study<ref name="Kallmeyer" /> reduced the calculated prokaryotic biomass in deep subseafloor sediments from the original ≈300 billion tonnes C to ≈4 billion tonnes C (range 1.5–22 billion tonnes). This update originates from much lower estimates of both the prokaryotic abundance and their average weight.

A census published in [[PNAS]] in May 2018 estimated global bacterial biomass at ≈70 billion tonnes C, of which ≈60 billion tonnes are in the terrestrial deep subsurface.<ref name="Bar-On" /> It also estimated the global biomass of archaea at ≈7 billion tonnes C. A later study by the [[Deep Carbon Observatory]] published in 2018 reported a much larger dataset of measurements, and updated the total biomass estimate in the deep terrestrial biosphere. It used this new knowledge and previous estimates to update the global biomass of bacteria and archaea to 23–31 billion tonnes C.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Magnabosco |first1=C. |last2=Lin |first2=L.-H. |last3=Dong |first3=H. |last4=Bomberg |first4=M. |last5=Ghiorse |first5=W. |last6=Stan-Lotter |first6=H. |last7=Pedersen |first7=K. |last8=Kieft |first8=T. L. |last9=van Heerden |first9=E. |last10=Onstott |first10=T. C. |date=24 September 2018 |title=The biomass and biodiversity of the continental subsurface |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-018-0221-6 |journal=Nature Geoscience |language=en |volume=11 |issue=10 |pages=707–717 |doi=10.1038/s41561-018-0221-6 |bibcode=2018NatGe..11..707M |s2cid=133768246 |issn=1752-0908 |archive-date=15 January 2023 |access-date=10 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115092808/https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-018-0221-6 |url-status=live }}</ref> Roughly 70% of the global biomass was estimated to be found in the deep subsurface.<ref name="EA-20181211" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Observatory |first=Deep Carbon |title=Life in deep Earth totals 15 to 23 billion tons of carbon—hundreds of times more than humans |url=https://phys.org/news/2018-12-life-deep-earth-totals-billion.html |access-date=2023-07-24 |website=phys.org |language=en}}</ref> The estimated number of prokaryotic cells globally was estimated to be 11–15 × 10<sup>29</sup>.<ref name=":0" /> With this information, the authors of the May 2018 PNAS article<ref name="Bar-On" /> revised their estimate for the global biomass of prokaryotes to ≈30 billion tonnes C,<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Bar-On |first1=Yinon M. |last2=Milo |first2=Ron |date=21 February 2019 |title=Towards a quantitative view of the global ubiquity of biofilms |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-019-0162-0 |journal=Nature Reviews Microbiology |language=en |volume=17 |issue=4 |pages=199–200 |doi=10.1038/s41579-019-0162-0 |pmid=30792541 |s2cid=67789580 |issn=1740-1534 |archive-date=10 July 2023 |access-date=10 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710122853/https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-019-0162-0 |url-status=live }}</ref> similar to the Deep Carbon Observatory estimate.<ref name=":0" />

These estimates convert global abundance of prokaryotes into global biomass using average cellular biomass figures that are based on limited data. Recent estimates used an average cellular biomass of about 20–30 [[femtogram]] carbon (fgC) per cell in the subsurface and terrestrial habitats.<ref name="Bar-On" /><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Griebler |first1=Christian |last2=Mindl |first2=Birgit |last3=Slezak |first3=Doris |last4=Geiger-Kaiser |first4=Margot |date=2002-06-26 |title=Distribution patterns of attached and suspended bacteria in pristine and contaminated shallow aquifers studied with an in situ sediment exposure microcosm |url=https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/ame/v28/n2/p117-129/ |journal=Aquatic Microbial Ecology |language=en |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=117–129 |doi=10.3354/ame028117 |issn=0948-3055 |doi-access=free |archive-date=10 July 2023 |access-date=10 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710141755/https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/ame/v28/n2/p117-129/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Global biomass==
{{ external media
| headerimage=
| float  = right
| width  = 240px
| image1 = [https://www.visualcapitalist.com/all-the-biomass-of-earth-in-one-graphic Visualizing the biomass of life]
}}

The total global biomass has been estimated at 550 billion tonnes C.<ref name=Groombridge>Groombridge B, Jenkins MD (2000) [https://books.google.com/books?id=_kHeAXV5-XwC ''Global biodiversity: Earth's living resources in the 21st century''] p. 11. [[World Conservation Monitoring Centre]], World Conservation Press, Cambridge</ref><ref name="Bar-On"/> A breakdown of the global biomass is given by [[Kingdom (biology)|kingdom]] in the table below, based on a 2018 study by Bar-On et. al.<ref name="Bar-On" />
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Kingdom
!Global biomass in billion tonnes of carbon
!Global dry biomass in billion tonnes
!Global wet biomass in billion tonnes
!Image
|-
|{{center|[[Plant]]ae}}
|{{center|450<ref name="Bar-On" />}}
|{{center|900}}
|{{center|2700}}
|{{center|
[[File:Browns Field rainforest NSW.jpg|100px|frameless|center]]
}}
|-
|{{center|[[Bacteria]] + [[Archaea]]}}
|{{center|30<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />}}
|{{center|60}}
|{{center|200}}
|{{center|
[[File:E. coli Bacteria (7316101966).jpg|100px|frameless|center]]
}}
|-
|{{center|[[Fungus|Fungi]]}}
|{{center|12<ref name="Bar-On" />}}
|{{center|24}}
|{{center|80}}
|{{center|
[[File:Mushroom-IMG 1469.JPG|100px|frameless|center]]
}}
|-
|{{center|[[Protist]]a}}
|{{center|4<ref name="Bar-On" />}}
|{{center|8}}
|{{center|25}}
|{{center|
[[File:Ammonia tepida.jpg|100px|frameless|center]]
}}
|-
|{{center|[[Animal]]ia}}
|{{center|2<ref name="Bar-On" />}}
|{{center|4}}
|{{center|13}}
|{{center|
[[File:Great Barracuda off the Netherland Antilles.jpg|100px|frameless|center]]
}}
|-
|{{center|'''Total'''}}
|{{center|'''500'''}}
|{{center|'''1000'''}}
|{{center|'''3000'''}}
|}[[File:Distribution-of-earths-mammals.png|thumb|upright=1.5| Humans and their livestock represent 96% of all mammals on earth in terms of biomass, whereas all wild mammals represent only 4%.<ref name="Bar-On" />]] [[Animal]]s represent less than 0.5% of the total biomass on Earth, with about 2 billion tonnes C in total. Most animal biomass is found in the oceans, where [[arthropod]]s, such as [[copepod]]s, account for about 1 billion tonnes C and fish for another 0.7 billion tonnes C.<ref name="Bar-On" /> Roughly half of the biomass of fish in the world are [[Mesopelagic fish|mesopelagic]], such as lanternfish,<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Schwarzhans |first1=Werner |last2=Carnevale |first2=Giorgio |date=2021-03-19 |title=The rise to dominance of lanternfishes (Teleostei: Myctophidae) in the oceanic ecosystems: a paleontological perspective |journal=Paleobiology |language=en |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=446–463 |doi=10.1017/pab.2021.2 |bibcode=2021Pbio...47..446S |issn=0094-8373 |s2cid=233678539 |doi-access=free}}</ref> spending most of the day in the deep, dark waters.<ref name="Hatton">{{Cite journal |last1=Hatton |first1=Ian A. |last2=Heneghan |first2=Ryan F. |last3=Bar-On |first3=Yinon M. |last4=Galbraith |first4=Eric D. |date=2021-11-12 |title=The global ocean size spectrum from bacteria to whales |journal=Science Advances |language=en |volume=7 |issue=46 |pages=eabh3732 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.abh3732 |issn=2375-2548 |pmc=8580314 |pmid=34757796|bibcode=2021SciA....7.3732H }}</ref> Marine mammals such as whales and dolphins account for about 0.006 billion tonnes C.<ref name="Greenspoon" />

Land animals account for about 500 million tonnes C, or about 20% of the biomass of animals on Earth.<ref name="Bar-On" /> Terrestrial arthropods account for about 150 million tonnes C, most of which is found in the [[topsoil]].<ref name="Rosenberg" /> Land mammals account for about 180 million tonnes C, most of which are humans (about 80 million tonnes C) and domesticated mammals (about 90 million tonnes C). Wild terrestrial mammals account for only about 3 million tonnes C, less than 2% of the total mammalian biomass on land.<ref name="Greenspoon" />[[File:Distribution of the global biomass.png|thumb|center|700px|The global biomass broken down by kingdom and into taxonomic groups for animals.<ref name="Bar-On" /> The estimates for bacteria and archaea have been updated to 30 billion tonnes C combined since this figure was made.<ref name=":0" />]]
Most of the global biomass is found on land, with only 5 to 10 billion tonnes C found in the oceans.<ref name="Groombridge" /> On land, there is about 1,000 times more plant biomass (''phytomass'') than animal biomass (''zoomass'').<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gosh |first1=Iman |date=20 August 2021 |title=Misc All the Biomass of Earth, in One Graphic |work=Visual Capitalist |url=https://www.visualcapitalist.com/all-the-biomass-of-earth-in-one-graphic/ |access-date=16 December 2021 |archive-date=16 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216204344/https://www.visualcapitalist.com/all-the-biomass-of-earth-in-one-graphic/ |url-status=live }}</ref> About 18% of this plant biomass is eaten by the land animals.<ref name="Hartley">[[Sue Hartley|Hartley, Sue]] (2010) [http://vega.org.uk/video/programme/323 The 300 Million Years War: Plant Biomass v Herbivores] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201174725/http://www.vega.org.uk/video/programme/323 |date=1 December 2010 }} ''[[Royal Institution Christmas Lectures|Royal Institution Christmas Lecture]]''.</ref> However, marine animals eat most of the marine [[autotroph]]s, and the biomass of marine animals is greater than that of marine autotrophs.<ref name="Bar-On" /><ref name="Hartley" />

According to a 2020 study published in ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'', human-made materials, or [[technomass]], outweigh all living biomass on earth, with [[Plastic pollution|plastic]] alone exceeding the mass of all land and marine animals combined.<ref>{{cite news |last=Laville |first=Sandra |date=December 9, 2020 |title=Human-made materials now outweigh Earth's entire biomass – study |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/09/human-made-materials-now-outweigh-earths-entire-biomass-study |access-date=December 9, 2020 |archive-date=10 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210000655/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/09/human-made-materials-now-outweigh-earths-entire-biomass-study |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Elhacham" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Anthropogenic mass: Comparing human-made mass to the living Biomass on earth |url=http://anthropomass.org/ |access-date=2023-07-31 |website=Anthropogenic mass: Comparing human-made mass to the living Biomass on earth |archive-date=31 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731105900/https://anthropomass.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"
!
!name
!number of species
!date of estimate
!individual count
!mean living mass of individual
!percent biomass (dried)
!global dry biomass in million tonnes
!global wet (fresh) biomass in million tonnes
|-
! rowspan="10" |Terrestrial
| rowspan=2 | {{center|[[Humans]]}}
| rowspan=2 | {{center|1}}
| {{center|November 2022}}
| {{center|8 billion<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nations |first=United |title=Day of 8 Billion |url=https://www.un.org/en/dayof8billion |access-date=2023-07-09 |website=United Nations |language=en |archive-date=15 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115021315/https://www.un.org/en/dayof8billion |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| {{center|50&nbsp;kg<br />(incl children)<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hern |first=Warren M. |date=September 1999 |title=How Many Times Has the Human Population Doubled? Comparisons with Cancer |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27503685 |journal=Population and Environment |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=59–80 |doi=10.1007/BF02436121 |jstor=27503685 |s2cid=86671730 |archive-date=9 July 2023 |access-date=9 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709132812/https://www.jstor.org/stable/27503685 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| {{center|40%<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jéquier |first1=E. |last2=Constant |first2=F. |date=February 2010 |title=Water as an essential nutrient: the physiological basis of hydration |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn2009111 |journal=European Journal of Clinical Nutrition |language=en |volume=64 |issue=2 |pages=115–123 |doi=10.1038/ejcn.2009.111 |pmid=19724292 |s2cid=205129670 |issn=1476-5640}}</ref>}}
| {{center|160}}
| {{center|400<ref name= "Greenspoon">{{Cite journal |last1=Greenspoon |first1=Lior |last2=Krieger |first2=Eyal |last3=Sender |first3=Ron |last4=Rosenberg |first4=Yuval |last5=Bar-On |first5=Yinon M. |last6=Moran |first6=Uri |last7=Antman |first7=Tomer |last8=Meiri |first8=Shai |last9=Roll |first9=Uri |last10=Noor |first10=Elad |last11=Milo |first11=Ron |date=2023-03-07 |title=The global biomass of wild mammals |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=120 |issue=10 |pages=e2204892120 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2204892120 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=10013851 |pmid=36848563|bibcode=2023PNAS..12004892G }}</ref>}}
|-
| {{center|2005}}
| {{center|4.63 billion adults}}
| {{center|62&nbsp;kg<br />(excl. children)<ref name="AdultHumanBiomass" />}}
|
|
| {{center|287<ref name="AdultHumanBiomass">{{cite journal | vauthors = Walpole SC, Prieto-Merino D, Edwards P, Cleland J, Stevens G, Roberts I | title = The weight of nations: an estimation of adult human biomass | journal = BMC Public Health | volume = 12 | issue = 1 | pages = 439 | date = June 2012 | pmid = 22709383 | pmc = 3408371 | doi = 10.1186/1471-2458-12-439 | url =  | doi-access = free }}</ref>}}
|-
| {{center|[[Cattle]]}}
| {{center|1}}
| {{Center|2021}}
| {{center|1.5 billion<ref name= "FAOSTAT">{{Cite web |title=FAOSTAT |url=https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=www.fao.org |archive-date=12 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112130804/https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| {{center|300&nbsp;kg}}
| {{center|30%}}
| {{center|125}}
| {{center|416<ref name= "Greenspoon"/>}}
|-
| {{center|[[Sheep]]}}
| {{center|1}}
| {{center|2021}}
| {{center|1.3 billion<ref name= "FAOSTAT"/>}}
| {{center|30&nbsp;kg}}
| {{center|30%}}
| {{center|12}}
| {{center|39<ref name= "Greenspoon"/>}}
|-
| {{Center|[[Goat]]s}}
| {{Center|1}}
| {{Center|2021}}
| {{Center|1.1 billion<ref name= "FAOSTAT"/>}}
| {{Center|30 kg}}
| {{Center|30%}}
| {{Center|10}}
| {{Center|32<ref name= "Greenspoon"/>}}
|-
| {{center|[[Chicken]]s}}
| {{center|1}}
| {{center|2021}}
| {{center|26 billion}}
| {{center|0.9 kg for broilers, 1.8 kg for layers<ref>IPCC 2006, 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Prepared by the National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme, Eggleston H.S., Buendia L., Miwa K., Ngara T. and Tanabe K. (eds). Published: IGES, Japan.</ref>}}
| {{center|30%}}
| {{center|8<ref name="Bar-On"/>}}
| {{center|25}}
|-
| {{center|[[Ant]]s}}
| {{center|15,700<ref name= "Schultheiss">{{Cite journal |last1=Schultheiss |first1=Patrick |last2=Nooten |first2=Sabine |last3=Wang |first3=Runxi |last4=Wong |first4=Mark |last5=Brassard |first5=François |last6=Benoit |first6=Guénard |date=September 19, 2022 |title=The abundance, biomass, and distribution of ants on Earth |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=119 |issue=40 |pages=e2201550119 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2201550119 |doi-access=free |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=9546634 |pmid=36122199|bibcode=2022PNAS..11901550S }}</ref>}}
| {{center|2022}}
| {{center|20–90{{e|15}}<ref name= "Schultheiss"/>}}
| {{center|3.7 mg<ref name = "Rosenberg">{{Cite journal |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Yuval |last2=Bar-On |first2=Yinon M. |last3=Fromm |first3=Amir |last4=Ostikar |first4=Meital |last5=Shoshany |first5=Aviv |last6=Giz |first6=Omer |last7=Milo |first7=Ron |date=3 Feb 2023 |title=The global biomass and number of terrestrial arthropods |journal=Science Advances |language=en |volume=9 |issue=5 |pages=eabq4049 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.abq4049 |issn=2375-2548 |pmc=9897674 |pmid=36735788|bibcode=2023SciA....9.4049R }}</ref>-5.5 mg<ref name= "Schultheiss"/>}}
| {{center|22.8%<ref name= "Petersen">{{cite journal |last1=Petersen |first1=Henning |last2=Luxton |first2=Malcolm |title=A Comparative Analysis of Soil Fauna Populations and Their Role in Decomposition Processes |journal=Oikos |date=December 1982 |volume=39 |issue=3 |pages=288–388 |doi=10.2307/3544689 |jstor=3544689 |bibcode=1982Oikos..39..288P |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274752964 |access-date=July 26, 2023}}</ref>}}
| {{center|10–100<ref name= "Schultheiss"/>}}
| {{center|40–450}}
|-
| {{center|[[Earthworm]]s}}
| {{center|7,000–30,000<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Joint Research Centre (European Commission) |url=https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2788/2613 |title=Global soil biodiversity atlas |last2=Johnson |first2=Nancy C. |last3=Scheu |first3=Stefan |last4=Ramirez |first4=Kelly S. |last5=Lemanceau |first5=Philippe |last6=Eggleton |first6=Paul |last7=Jones |first7=Arwyn |last8=Moreira |first8=Fatima M. S. |last9=Barrios |first9=Edmundo |date=2016 |publisher=Publications Office of the European Union |isbn=978-92-79-48168-0 |location=LU|doi=10.2788/2613 }}</ref>}}
| {{center|2016}}
|
| {{center|10 mg (dry weight)<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Fierer |first1=Noah |last2=Strickland |first2=Michael S. |last3=Liptzin |first3=Daniel |last4=Bradford |first4=Mark A. |last5=Cleveland |first5=Cory C. |date=October 13, 2009 |title=Global patterns in belowground communities |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19674041/ |journal=Ecology Letters |language=en |volume=12 |issue=11 |pages=1238–1249 |doi=10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01360.x |pmid=19674041 |bibcode=2009EcolL..12.1238F |archive-date=26 July 2023 |access-date=26 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726125918/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19674041/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| {{center|10–25%<ref>{{cite book |last1=Edwards |first1=Clive A. |last2=Normal |first2=Arancon Q. |title=Biology and Ecology of Earthworms |date=2022 |publisher=Springer |location=New York |isbn=978-0-387-74943-3 |pages=33–54 |edition=4th |chapter=Earthworm Physiology}}</ref>}}
| {{center|400<ref name="Bar-On" />}}
| {{center|1,600}}
|-
| {{center|[[Termite]]s}}
| {{center|2,972{{cn|date=August 2023}}}}
| {{center|2022}}
|
| {{center|2 mg<ref name= "Petersen"/>}}
| {{center|27%<ref name= "Petersen"/>}}
| {{center|100<ref name="Rosenberg" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tuma |first1=Jiri |last2=Eggleton |first2=Paul |last3=Fayle |first3=Tom M. |date=25 Dec 2019 |title=Ant-termite interactions: an important but under-explored ecological linkage |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/brv.12577 |journal=Biological Reviews |language=en |volume=95 |issue=3 |pages=555–572 |doi=10.1111/brv.12577 |pmid=31876057 |s2cid=209482348 |issn=1464-7931 |archive-date=26 July 2023 |access-date=26 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726125919/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/brv.12577 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| {{center|440<ref>Sum of [(biomass m{{sup|−2}}2)*(area m{{sup|2}})] from table 3 in Sanderson, M.G. 1996 ''Biomass of termites and their emissions of methane and carbon dioxide: A global database'' Global Biochemical Cycles, Vol '''10:4''' 543–557</ref>}}
|-
| {{center|[[Nematode]]s}}
| {{center|}}
| {{center|2019}}
| {{center|4.4×10<sup>20</sup><ref name= "Nematode_VDHoogen">{{cite journal |last1=van den Hoogen |first1=Johan |title=Soil nematode abundance and functional group composition at a global scale |journal=Nature |date=8 August 2019 |volume=572 |issue=7768 |pages=194–198 |doi=10.1038/s41586-019-1418-6 |pmid=31341281 |bibcode=2019Natur.572..194V |display-authors=0 |hdl=10261/193342 |url=http://www.alice.cnptia.embrapa.br/alice/handle/doc/1117599 |hdl-access=free |archive-date=12 May 2024 |access-date=15 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240512085100/https://www.alice.cnptia.embrapa.br/alice/handle/doc/1117599 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
|
| {{center|20%<ref name= "Petersen"/>}}
| {{center|60}}
| {{center|300<ref name= "Nematode_VDHoogen"/>}}
|-
! rowspan=6 | {{center|Marine}}
| rowspan=2 | {{center|[[Blue whale]]s<ref name="BlueWhaleBiomass">{{cite journal | vauthors = Pershing AJ, Christensen LB, Record NR, Sherwood GD, Stetson PB | title = The impact of whaling on the ocean carbon cycle: why bigger was better | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 5 | issue = 8 | pages = e12444 | date = August 2010 | pmid = 20865156 | pmc = 2928761 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0012444 | editor1-last = Humphries | bibcode = 2010PLoSO...512444P | editor1-first = Stuart | doi-access = free }} (Table 1)</ref>}}
| rowspan=2 |{{center|1}}
| {{center|Pre-whaling}}
| {{center|340,000}}
|
| {{center|40%<ref name="WhaleCarbon">{{Cite journal | vauthors = Jelmert A, Oppen-Berntsen DO | title = Whaling and Deep-Sea Biodiversity | journal = Conservation Biology | year = 1996 | volume = 10 | pages = 653–654 | doi = 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1996.10020653.x | issue = 2 | bibcode = 1996ConBi..10..653J }}</ref>}}
|
| {{center|36}}
|-
| {{center|2023}}
| {{center|50,000<ref name= "Greenspoon"/>}}
| {{center|60,000 kg}}
| {{center|40%<ref name="WhaleCarbon" />}}
| {{center|1.2}}
| {{center|3<ref name="Greenspoon"/>}}
|-
| {{center|[[Fish]]}}
| {{center|>20,000<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fisheries |first=NOAA |date=2022-05-03 |title=Fun Facts About Fascinating Fish {{!}} NOAA Fisheries |url=https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/outreach-and-education/fun-facts-about-fascinating-fish |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=NOAA |language=en |archive-date=15 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815190832/https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/outreach-and-education/fun-facts-about-fascinating-fish |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| {{center|2022}}
|
|
| {{center|30%<ref name="Johnson">{{cite journal | doi=10.1080/00028487.2017.1360392 | title=Energy Density and Dry Matter Content in Fish: New Observations and an Evaluation of Some Empirical Models | date=2017 | last1=Johnson | first1=Brett M. | last2=Pate | first2=William M. | last3=Hansen | first3=Adam G. | journal=Transactions of the American Fisheries Society | volume=146 | issue=6 | pages=1262–1278 | bibcode=2017TrAFS.146.1262J }}</ref>}}
| {{center|3,000}}
| {{center|9,000<ref name= "Hatton"/>}}
|-
| {{center|[[Antarctic krill]]}}
| {{center|1}}
| {{center|2008}}
| {{center|7.8{{e|14}}<ref name="KrillBiomass2009">{{Cite journal |vauthors=Atkinson A, Siegel V, Pakhomov EA, Jessopp MJ, Loeb V |year=2009 |title=A re-appraisal of the total biomass and annual production of Antarctic krill |url=http://www.iced.ac.uk/documents/Atkinson%20et%20al,%20Deep%20Sea%20Research%20I,%202009.pdf |journal=Deep-Sea Research Part I |volume=56 |issue=5 |pages=727–740 |bibcode=2009DSRI...56..727A |doi=10.1016/j.dsr.2008.12.007 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=2 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192327/http://www.iced.ac.uk/documents/Atkinson%20et%20al,%20Deep%20Sea%20Research%20I,%202009.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| {{center|0.486 g<ref name="KrillBiomass2009" />}}
|
|
| {{center|379 (in peak season)<ref name="KrillBiomass2009" />}}
|-
| {{center|[[Copepod]]s<br /><small>(a [[zooplankton]])</small>}}
| {{center| 13,000}}
|
|
| {{center|10<sup>−6</sup>–10<sup>−9</sup> kg }}
|
|
|
|-
| {{center|[[Cyanobacteria]]<br /><small>(a [[picoplankton]])</small>}}
| {{center|?}}
| {{center|2003}}
|
|
|
|
| {{center|1,000<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1127/1864-1318/2003/0109-0213 | vauthors = Garcia-Pichel F, Belnap J, Neuer S, Schanz F | year = 2003 | title = Estimates of global cyanobacterial biomass and its distribution | url = http://sbsc.wr.usgs.gov/products/pdfs/GarciaPichel_et_al_2003_Estimates_of_global_cyanobacterial.pdf | journal = Algological Studies | volume = 109 | pages = 213–217 | archive-date = 26 December 2016 | access-date = 18 January 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161226185525/http://sbsc.wr.usgs.gov/products/pdfs/GarciaPichel_et_al_2003_Estimates_of_global_cyanobacterial.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref>}}
|}

==Global rate of production==
[[File:Seawifs global biosphere.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Globally, terrestrial and oceanic habitats produce a similar amount of new biomass each year (56.4 billion tonnes C terrestrial and 48.5 billion tonnes C oceanic).]]

Net [[primary production]] is the rate at which new biomass is generated, mainly due to photosynthesis. Global primary production can be estimated from [[satellite]] observations. Satellites scan the [[NDVI|normalised difference vegetation index]] (NDVI) over terrestrial habitats and scan sea-surface [[chlorophyll]] levels over oceans. This results in 56.4 billion [[tonne]]s [[Organic carbon|C]]/yr (53.8%) for terrestrial primary production and 48.5 billion tonnes C/yr for oceanic primary production.<ref name=Behrenfeld>{{cite journal | vauthors = Field CB, Behrenfeld MJ, Randerson JT, Falkowski P | title = Primary production of the biosphere: integrating terrestrial and oceanic components | journal = Science | volume = 281 | issue = 5374 | pages = 237–240 | date = July 1998 | pmid = 9657713 | doi = 10.1126/science.281.5374.237 | bibcode = 1998Sci...281..237F | url = http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/9gm7074q | archive-date = 25 September 2018 | access-date = 7 February 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180925215921/https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9gm7074q | url-status = live }}</ref> Thus, the total [[photoautotrophic]] primary production for the Earth is about 104.9 billion tonnes C/yr. This translates to about 426 gC/m<sup>2</sup>/yr for land production (excluding areas with permanent ice cover) and 140 gC/m<sup>2</sup>/yr for the oceans.

However, there is a much more significant difference in [[Population density|standing stocks]]—while accounting for almost half of the total annual production, oceanic [[autotroph]]s account for only about 0.2% of the total biomass.

Terrestrial [[freshwater ecosystem]]s generate about 1.5% of the global net primary production.<ref name=Alexander>{{cite book| last = Alexander| first = David E. | name-list-style = vanc | title = Encyclopedia of Environmental Science| publisher = [[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]]| date = 1999| isbn = 978-0-412-74050-3 }}</ref>

Some global producers of biomass, in order of productivity rates, are
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
! Producer
! Biomass productivity<br />(gC/m<sup>2</sup>/yr)
! Ref
! Total area<br />(million km<sup>2</sup>)
! Ref
! Total production<br />(billion tonnes C/yr)
|-
| [[Swamp]]s and [[marsh]]es
| align="center"| 2,500
| <ref name="ecology">{{Cite book| last1= Ricklefs| first1= Robert E.| last2= Miller| first2= Gary Leon | name-list-style = vanc | title= Ecology| year= 2000| edition= 4th| publisher= Macmillan| page= 192| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=6TMvdZQiySoC&q=temperate+forest+ecology+%22net+primary+production%22&pg=PA192| isbn= 978-0-7167-2829-0}}</ref>
| align="center"|5.7
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/library/info2007-01-e.pdf|title=What are wetlands?|website=ramsar.org|access-date=28 August 2023|archive-date=25 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425030744/https://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/library/info2007-01-e.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
|
|-
| [[Tropical rainforest]]s
| align="center"| 2,000
| <ref>{{Cite book| last1= Ricklefs| first1= Robert E.| last2= Miller| first2= Gary Leon | name-list-style = vanc | title= Ecology| year= 2000| edition= 4th| publisher= Macmillan| page= 197| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=6TMvdZQiySoC&q=primary+production+biomass+g+m+yr&pg=PA197| isbn= 978-0-7167-2829-0}}</ref>
| align="center"| 8
|
| align="center"| 16
|-
| [[Coral reef]]s
| align="center"| 2,000
| <ref name="ecology" />
| align="center"| 0.28
| <ref name="Spalding">Mark Spalding, Corinna Ravilious, and Edmund Green. 2001. ''World Atlas of Coral Reefs''. Berkeley, California: University of California Press and UNEP/WCMC.</ref>
| align="center"| 0.56
|-
| [[Algae|Algal bed]]s
| align="center"| 2,000
| <ref name="ecology" />
|
|
|
|-
| [[Estuary|River estuaries]]
| align="center"| 1,800
| <ref name="ecology" />
|
|
|
|-
| [[Temperate forest]]s
| align="center"| 1,250
| <ref name="ecology" />
| align="center"| 19
|
| align="center"| 24
|-
| [[Land use statistics by country|Cultivated land]]s
| align="center"| 650
| <ref name="ecology" /><ref name="environment">{{Cite book| last= Park| first= Chris C.| name-list-style = vanc | title= The environment: principles and applications| year= 2001| edition= 2nd| publisher= Routledge| page= 564| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Ew3MBjbw4OAC&pg=PA564 | isbn= 978-0-415-21770-5}}</ref>
| align="center"| 17
|
| align="center"| 11
|-
| [[Tundra]]s
| align="center"| 140
| <ref name="ecology" /><ref name="environment" />
|align="center"| 11.5–29.8
|<ref name="World Wildlife Fund">{{cite web | title=Tundra – Biomes – WWF | website=World Wildlife Fund | url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/biomes/tundra | access-date=2021-10-05}}</ref><ref name="ArcGIS StoryMaps 2020">{{cite web | title=Tundra | website=ArcGIS StoryMaps | date=2020-01-17 | url=https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/93e3669fa9ab42c0b98e3c8ad31f25f6 | access-date=2021-10-05 | quote=the tundra is a vast and treeless land which covers about 20% of the Earth's surface, circumnavigating the North pole. | archive-date=5 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005115049/https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/93e3669fa9ab42c0b98e3c8ad31f25f6 | url-status=live }}</ref>
|
|-
| [[Oceanic zone|Open ocean]]
| align="center"| 125
| <ref name="ecology" /><ref name="environment" />
| align="center"| 311
|
| align="center"| 39
|-
| [[Desert]]s
| align="center"| 3
| <ref name="environment" />
| align="center"| 50
|
| align="center"| 0.15
|}

== See also ==
{{col div|colwidth=30em}}
* {{annotated link|Biomass}}
* {{annotated link|Biomass (energy)}}
* [[Biomass partitioning]]
* {{annotated link|Organic matter}}
* {{annotated link|Productivity (ecology)}}
* {{annotated link|Primary nutritional groups}}
* {{annotated link|Population density|Standing stock}}
* [[Slash-and-burn]]
* [[Stubble burning]]
* {{annotated link|Lake Pohjalampi}} - a biomass manipulation study
* {{annotated link|List of commercially important fish species}}
{{colend}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal | vauthors = Foley JA, Monfreda C, Ramankutty N, Zaks D | title = Our share of the planetary pie | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | volume = 104 | issue = 31 | pages = 12585–12586 | date = July 2007 | pmid = 17646656 | pmc = 1937509 | doi = 10.1073/pnas.0705190104  | bibcode = 2007PNAS..10412585F | doi-access = free }}
* {{cite journal|author-link9=Marina Fischer-Kowalski | vauthors = Haberl H, Erb KH, Krausmann F, Gaube V, Bondeau A, Plutzar C, Gingrich S, Lucht W, Fischer-Kowalski M | title = Quantifying and mapping the human appropriation of net primary production in earth's terrestrial ecosystems | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | volume = 104 | issue = 31 | pages = 12942–12947 | date = July 2007 | pmid = 17616580 | pmc = 1911196 | doi = 10.1073/pnas.0704243104 | bibcode = 2007PNAS..10412942H | doi-access = free }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Purves | first1 = William K | last2 = Orians | first2 = Gordon H | name-list-style = vanc | year = 2007 | title = Life: The Science of Biology | edition = 8th | publisher = W. H. Freeman | isbn = 978-1-4292-0877-2 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|biomass}}
* [https://biocubes.net Biocubes: a visualization of biomass and technomass]
* [https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/5/29/17386112/all-life-on-earth-chart-weight-plants-animals-pnas The mass of all life on Earth is staggering — until you consider how much we've lost]
* [http://whyfiles.org/shorties/count_bact.html Counting bacteria] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212004814/http://whyfiles.org/shorties/count_bact.html |date=12 December 2013 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081216224504/http://www.marietta.edu/~mcshaffd/lead/trophic.pdf Trophic levels]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090204052057/http://www.seaaroundus.org/flash/NorthAtlanticTrends.htm Biomass distributions for high trophic-level fishes in the North Atlantic, 1900–2000]

{{modelling ecosystems}}
{{aquatic ecosystem topics|expanded=none}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biomass (Ecology)}}
[[Category:Ecology terminology]]
[[Category:Environmental terminology]]
[[Category:Ecological metrics]]
[[Category:Ecosystems]]
[[Category:Fisheries science]]