BIOMASS

the weight or total quantity of living organisms of one animal or plant species (species biomass) or of all the species in the community (community biomass), commonly referred to a unit area or volume of the habitat. The number of organisms, or the biomass, in an area at a given moment is the standing crop. The total amount of organic material produced by living organisms of a particular area within a set period of time, called the productivity, is usually measured in units of energy, such as gram calories per square metre per year.