Calorimetric Determination of the Energy Accumulated in the Plant Matter of Some Biocenoses of Azerbaydzhan and Computation of the Level of use of Solar Energy

Abstract

AbstractCalorimetric measurements show that the amount of energy accumulated in the organic matter of a semidesert community of Azerbaydzhan ranges from 3663 to 5754 calories per gram of dry mass. Under semidesert conditions only 1 to 3 percent of incoming light energy is accumulated in the mass of a plant community. This agrees with similar determinations of the accumulation of energy in a forest community (Ovington and Heitcamp, 1960). Empirical formulas are used to compute the energy accumulated in one gram of plant mass of an entire community and to calculate the level of use of radiation energy (the share of energy accumulated in plant matter plus the energy used to evaporate). The results agree fairly well with data derived by other techniques.