Which will produce more oxygen? A few large trees or a greater number of smaller plants?

Question

In a given area A, we have two choices -(i) we can plant maximum number of trees (which are larger in size) possible in A, say mOR(ii) we can plant maximum number of plants (which are smaller in size) possible in A, say n(evidently m will be smaller than n)Which choice will yield more amount of oxygen?It can be assumed that the total number of leaves capable of Photosynthesis is N and is same for both the cases.

Answer 1

If the total number of leaves capable of photosynthesis is the same, then both scenarios will produce the same amount of oxygen. However, over a period of time, the small plants will produce more offspring that will be able to make the same amount of oxygen as their parent in a shorter time. So if the question becomes which will produce more oxygen over time, the answer will be a greater number of small plants.