A considerable amount of gross primary productivity is utilized by plants for their own metabolic needs. The remaining biomass, which is available for consumption to heterotrophs (herbivores and decomposers), is known as:

Step-by-step solution

Gross primary productivity (GPP) of an ecosystem is the rate of production of organic matter during photosynthesis. A considerable amount of GPP is utilized by plants in respiration (R). The remaining biomass after respiratory losses is called net primary productivity (NPP). NPP = GPP - R Net primary productivity is the available biomass for the consumption to heterotrophs (herbivores and decomposers). Answer: Net primary productivity