| Main Entry: | primary productivity |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | a measure of the rate at which new organic matter is developed through photosynthesis and chemosynthesis in producer organisms based on the oxygen released and carbon taken in; the transformation of chemical or solar energy to biomass |
| Example: | Most primary productivity occurs through photosynthesis, where green plants convert solar energy, carbon dioxide, and water to glucose and eventually to plant tissue. |