Freshwater swamp forest

Flooded forest

Freshwater swamp forests, or flooded forests,^[1] are forests which are inundated with freshwater, either permanently or seasonally. They normally occur along the lower reaches of rivers and around freshwater lakes. Freshwater swamp forests are found in a range of climate zones, from boreal through temperate and subtropical to tropical.

In the Amazon Basin of Brazil, a seasonally flooded forest is known as a várzea, a use that now is becoming more widespread for this type of forest in the Amazon (though generally spelled varzea when used in English). Igapó, another word used in Brazil for flooded Amazonian forests, is also sometimes used in English. Specifically, varzea refers to whitewater-inundated forest, and igapo to blackwater-inundated forest.

Peat swamp forests are swamp forests where waterlogged soils prevent woody debris from fully decomposing, which over time creates a thick layer of acidic peat.

Freshwater swamp forest ecoregions

Afrotropic

• Eastern Congolian swamp forests (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
• Niger Delta swamp forests (Nigeria)
• Western Congolian swamp forests (Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Australasia

• Northern New Guinea lowland rain and freshwater swamp forests (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea)
• Southern New Guinea freshwater swamp forests (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea)

South Asia

Ratargul Swamp Forest in Gowainghat, Sylhet, Bangladesh

• Borneo peat swamp forests (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia)
• Chao Phraya freshwater swamp forests (Thailand)
• Irrawaddy freshwater swamp forests (Myanmar)
• Peninsular Malaysian peat swamp forests (Malaysia, Thailand)
• Ratargul Swamp Forest (Bangladesh)^[2]
• Red River freshwater swamp forests]] (Vietnam)
• Southwest Borneo freshwater swamp forests (Indonesia)
• Tonle Sap-Mekong peat swamp forests (Cambodia, Vietnam)
• Wathurana freshwater swamp forest (Sri Lanka)
• Myristica swamp (India)
• Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary (India)

Neotropic

• Cantão igapó forest (Brazil)
• Gurupa varzea (Brazil)
• Iquitos varzea (Bolivia, Brazil, Peru)
• Marajó varzea (Brazil)
• Monte Alegre varzea (Brazil)
• Orinoco Delta swamp forests (Guyana, Venezuela)
• Pantanos de Centla (Mexico)
• Paramaribo swamp forests (Guyana, Suriname)
• Purus varzea (Brazil)

See also

• Coniferous swamp forest

References

Aquatic ecosystem topics
Aquatic ecosystems – general and freshwater components General Acoustic ecology Adaptation Agent-based models Algal bloom Anoxic waters Aquatic animals (Insects Mammals) Aquatic plants Aquatic science Benthos Biodiversity research Bioluminescence Biomass Biomonitoring Cascade effect Colored dissolved organic matter Camouflage and mimicry Dead zone Ecohydrology Ecosystems Eutrophication Fisheries science Food chain Food web GIS and aquatic science Hydrobiology Hypoxia Isotope analysis Microbial ecology Microbial food web Microbial loop Nekton Neuston Particle Pelagic zone Photic zone Phytoplankton Plankton Pleuston Predation Productivity Ramsar Convention Respiration Schooling Sediment trap Siltation Spawning Substrate Thermal pollution Toxicology Trophic level Water column Zooplankton More... Freshwater Biology Biomes Ecosystems freshwater lake river Fish Hyporheic zone Limnology Lake stratification Macrophyte Pond Fish pond Rheotaxis Stream bed Stream pool Trophic state index Upland and lowland Water garden Wetland brackish marsh freshwater marsh swamp bog fen Environmental quality More... Ecoregions Freshwater (List) Marine (List) The Everglades Maharashtra The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre The San Francisco Estuary
Aquatic ecosystems – marine components Marine Marine biology Marine chemistry Deep scattering layer Diel vertical migration Ecosystems large marine marine) f-ratio Iron fertilization Marine snow Ocean nourishment Oceanic physical-biological process Ocean turbidity Photophore Thorson's rule Upwelling Whale fall More... Marine life Bacteriophages Census Fish coastal coral reef deep sea demersal pelagic Deep sea communities Deep sea creature Deep-water coral Invertebrates Larvae Mammals Marine life Microorganisms Paradox of the plankton Reptiles Seabirds Seashore wildlife Vertebrates Wild fisheries Marine habitats Bay mud Black smokers Coastal biogeomorphology Cold seeps Coral reefs Davidson Seamount Estuaries Intertidal ecology Intertidal wetlands Kelp forests Hydrothermal vents Lagoons Mangroves Marine biomes Marine habitats Mudflats Rocky shores Salt marshes Salt pannes and pools Seagrass meadows Sponge reefs Tide pools Issues Ecological values of mangroves Fisheries and climate change HERMIONE Marine conservation Marine conservation activism Marine pollution Marine Protected Area