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Igapó Ecosystem Soils: Features and Environmental Importance

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Igapó (Black-water flooded forests) of the Amazon Basin

Abstract

Because of the marked periodicity of rainfall and fluctuation of the river levels, many areas undergo periodic flooding cycles in the Amazon, which results in the creation of habitats for a high diversity of plant and animal species, including endemic and endangered species. Depending on the type of water that drains the river, the characteristics of the flooded areas may vary because of the geology of the substrates over which the rivers pass, resulting in differences in the physical-chemical properties of the water, directly influencing the biota of the floodplains. In the Amazon, areas flooded by rivers of black or clear waters, with acid pH and low sediment load in addition to being nutritionally poor, are called “igapó.” In this chapter, the main soil characteristics of this ecosystem will be presented, focusing on the “igapó” forests of the Caxiuanã National Forest, finishing it with an approach on the social importance and the protection policies of these flood areas in the Amazon.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belém, PA, Brazil

    Maria de Lourdes Pinheiro Ruivo, Rosecelia Moreira da Silva Castro & Darley C. Leal Matos

  2. Instituto Federal do Pará, Castanhal, PA, Brazil

    Denise de Andrade Cunha

  3. Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil

    Elessandra Laura Nogueira Lopes & Rita Denize de Oliveira

Authors
  1. Maria de Lourdes Pinheiro Ruivo
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  2. Denise de Andrade Cunha
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  3. Rosecelia Moreira da Silva Castro
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  4. Elessandra Laura Nogueira Lopes
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  5. Darley C. Leal Matos
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  6. Rita Denize de Oliveira
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria de Lourdes Pinheiro Ruivo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

    Randall W. Myster

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de Lourdes Pinheiro Ruivo, M., de Andrade Cunha, D., da Silva Castro, R.M., Lopes, E.L.N., Leal Matos, D.C., de Oliveira, R.D. (2018). Igapó Ecosystem Soils: Features and Environmental Importance. In: Myster, R. (eds) Igapó (Black-water flooded forests) of the Amazon Basin. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90122-0_5

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