CARBON IN THE BIOTA 



291 



TABLE 2 

 ESTIMATES OF WORLD PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY 



any sufficiently favorable combination of moisture, temperature, and nutrients 

 can support a forest; and forests, on about one-tenth of the earth's surface area, 

 include almost half of the production and nine-tenths of the mass of the 

 biosphere. The oceans are, in contrast, relative deserts fringed with more 

 productive waters where, in areas of upwelling and on continental shelves, 

 nutrient availability is enhanced. 



HETEROTROPH PRODUCTION AND BIOMASS 



In Table 3 we have ventured preliminary estimates of animal consumption, 

 production, and biomass. These columns have been pieced together from frankly 

 unsatisfying data and are intended for early obsolescence as data from the 

 International Biological Programme become available. Column 4 of Table 3 gives 



