|
|
The Southwest Amazon Moist Forest stretches across four sub-basins of the upper Amazon Basin. The landscape here is relatively flat, except where the mountains of the Serra do Divisor range rise like an uplifted seam across part of the region. If you trekked across this large ecoregion, you would see myriad shifts in topography. In the north, 120 inches (3,048 mm) of rain drench the soil each year, creating lush, moist forests, while to the south, where only 60 to 80 inches (1,524-2,032 mm) of rain fall each year, the land is drier. Soils also vary greatly from one end of the region to the other. Areas of upland terra firme, or dry land, have nutrient-poor soils, while the ancient alluvial plains along the rivers host nutrient-rich soils.
Two major types of lowland humid forest merge in this region, including terra firme mature forest and late-successional, seasonally flooded forest. Pockets of permanent swamp forests also dot the region, with vegetation rising from nutrient-poor, white, sandy soils. Beneath the more open canopy and lower stature of these swamp forests grow many endemic plants, such as the pashaquilla, a legume, and the large, fruited cuchara-caspi. The plants, in turn, attract animal species to the ecoregion, including the rare and endangered red uakari monkey. This ecoregion has some of the highest recorded numbers of mammals and birds in the Americas and hosts many endemic species. Many parks, reserves, and even a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Manú National Park offer some protection to the diverse plants and animals found here.
A capybara, the world’s largest rodent, searches the ground for seeds, unaware of the many eyes upon it. A slight noise sets it running for its life. A jaguar mother approaches with her cubs, but the young cats still have a long way to go before perfecting their hunting technique. In the commotion, however, the panicked capybara jumps off the bank into the river, where a large, hungry black caiman is waiting. Giant otters surface downstream as they playfully swim through the water, chasing each other and rolling in the current. In a nearby open area, a giant anteater retreats from a termite mound as the soldiers arrive to defend their colony. Overhead in a palm tree, some woolly monkeys watch a small spotted cat, the ocelot, settle on a fallen tree trunk to take a nap as the heat of the day moves in on the Amazon Basin.
The black caiman, giant otter, and woolly monkey are just a few of the threatened species in this ecoregion. Human activities pose the biggest threats here. Hunting, expansion of agriculture and pastures, contamination from gold mining, and logging all destroy precious habitats, while invasive plant species such as guadua bamboo replace native vegetation. For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report. All text by World Wildlife Fund © 2001
|
More Photos
