Figure 20.7 The net primary productivity of different ecosystems around the world. Among terrestrial ecosystems, tropical rainforests are the most productive whereas deserts are the least productive. Among aquatic ecosystems, swamps, marshes, and coral reefs are the most productive whereas the open ocean is the least productive.
Data from R. H. Whittaker and G. E. Likens, Primary production: The biosphere and man, Human Ecology 1 (1973): 357–369.