Biogeochemistry of Amazon Floodplain Lakes and Associated Wetlands

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Melack ◽  
Bruce R. Forsberg
Keyword(s):  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Nutrient Retention ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Floodplain Lakes ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Central Amazon ◽  
Amazon Floodplain ◽  
Flooded Forests ◽  
The Many ◽  
Floating Macrophytes

Floodplains and associated lakes are important components of the biogeochemistry, ecology, and hydrology of the Amazon basin. Amazon floodplains contain thousands of lakes and associated wetlands linked to each other and to the many rivers of the immense basin. These floodplain lakes modify the passage of flood waves (Richey et al. 1989a), increase nutrient retention and recycling (Melack and Fisher 1990), and influence the chemistry of the rivers (Devol et al. 1995). The mosaic of flooded forests, open water, and floating macrophytes in the central Amazon floodplain makes a significant contribution of methane to the troposphere (Bartlett et al. 1988, Devol et al. 1990). The fishery potential of the large river systems is closely tied to the area of floodplain and the magnitude and duration of inundation (Welcomme 1979, Bayley and Petrere 1989). The majority of fishes harvested in the Amazon basin obtain nutrition in flooded forests (Goulding 1980) or from organic matter derived from floodplain algae (Araujo-Lima et al. 1986, Forsberg et al. 1993). Much progress has been made during the last fifty years toward understanding the lakes of the Amazon floodplain. Still, the vast size of the Amazon basin poses challenges to limnologists working in the region. Recent research has been enhanced by the maintenance of functional floating laboratories in several areas, use of modern ships capable of regional surveys and equipped for hydrographic studies, and applications of remote sensing. Our objective in this chapter is to examine the role of lakes in the hydrology of the floodplain and in the biogeochemistry of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous within the central Amazon basin. Particular emphasis is placed on how inundation patterns interplay with carbon balance and nutrient limitation. By combining numerous measurements of primary productivity with recent results from studies using isotopes of carbon, we will examine the contribution of the major plant groups to aquatic foodwebs, and offer a new paradigm for the processing of organic carbon on the Amazon floodplain. The interplay between the Amazon River and local catchments as sources of nutrients to the floodplain indicates the potential sensitivity of the lakes to basin-wide and local disturbances.

scholarly journals Patterns of Pelagic Fish Diversity in Floodplain Lakes of Whitewater and Blackwater Drainage Systems Within the Central Amazon River Basin of Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flávia K. Siqueira-Souza ◽  
Lawrence E. Hurd ◽  
Kedma C. Yamamoto ◽  
Maria Gercilia M. Soares ◽  
Gregory J. Cooper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Pelagic Fish ◽  
Floodplain Lakes ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
River Systems ◽  
Amazon River Basin ◽  
Central Amazon

The Amazon River Basin, one of the world’s most threatened ecosystems, has an enormous diversity of fish species, a result of temporally and spatially complex habitat containing biogeochemically different river systems. The annual hydrologic cycle results in floodplain lakes during low water and inundates forests during high water, exposing fish to different resources and environmental conditions. The two principal river systems in the central Brazilian Amazon are blackwater, with nutrient-poor acidic water, and nutrient-rich whitewater. Although species-rich, the Amazon Basin is data-poor in terms of comparative studies on a regional scale. We analyzed data sets from independent sampling studies of pelagic fish in 16 floodplain lakes, nine whitewater (Rio Solimões) and seven blackwater (Rio Negro), in the central Amazon Basin of Brazil. Our findings suggest striking similarities in pelagic fish diversity patterns. Species richness was virtually equal (165 in whitewater and 168 in blackwater). Both species richness, and number of migratory species, per lake increased toward the confluence of the rivers in both systems in our study. The proportion of unique species was also similar in whitewater lakes and blackwater (41 and 43%, respectively), boosting total regional richness to 237 species. However, species composition in whitewater lakes was more homogenous (lower β diversity), and species composition was associated with conductivity and pH in whitewater, but with dissolved oxygen and transparency in blackwater. Therefore, regional fish diversity cannot be represented by sampling one lake or even one drainage system, but must include multiple lakes from both systems. These two systems may differ in sensitivity to anthropogenic stressors such as damming and deforestation.

Responses of ungulates to seasonal inundations in the Amazon floodplain

1990 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard E. Bodmer
Keyword(s):  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Tayassu Pecari ◽  
Amazon Floodplain ◽  
Flooded Forests ◽  
Tapirus Terrestris ◽  
Collared Peccary ◽  
Flooded Areas ◽  
Brocket Deer ◽  
Mazama Americana

ABSTRACTTerrestrial ungulates use different strategies to cope with widespread annual flooding of the Amazon basin. Red brocket deer (Mazama americana) and collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu) retreat to floodplain islands and shift from a frugivorous to a woody browse diet. However, both white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) and lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) diets are unaffected by inundations; in the case of white-lipped peccary because they migrate into and out of flooded areas and in the case of lowland tapir because of their semi-aquatic nature. These-strategies of white-lipped peccary and lowland tapir enable them to exploit the greater fruit production of flooded forests more frequently than brocket deer and collared peccary.

scholarly journals Ecology and life history of an Amazon floodplain cichlid: the discus fish Symphysodon (Perciformes: Cichlidae)

2008 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 599-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
William G. R. Crampton
Keyword(s):  
Amazon Basin ◽  
High Water ◽  
Organic Detritus ◽  
Plant Matter ◽  
Amazon Floodplain ◽  
Flood Level ◽  
Flooded Forests ◽  
History Of ◽  
Eggs And Larvae ◽  
Fine Organic

The discus fishes of the genus Symphysodon are popular ornamental cichlids that occur in floodplain lakes and flooded forests of the lowland Amazon Basin. These habitats are characterized by extreme seasonal fluctuations in the availability of food, shelter and dissolved oxygen, and also the densities of predators and parasites. Most aspects of discus biology are influenced by these fluctuating conditions. This paper reports an autoecological study of the western Amazonian discus S. haraldi (until recently classified as S. aequifasciatus). This species feeds predominantly on algal periphyton, fine organic detritus, plant matter, and small aquatic invertebrates. At high water it forages alone or in small groups in flooded forests. At low water it forms large aggregations in fallen tree crowns along lake margins. Breeding occurs at the beginning of the flood season, ensuring that the progeny are well grown before the next low water period. Symphysodon haraldi is an iteroparous partial spawner, reaches reproductive maturity within a year, and undertakes parental care of its eggs and larvae. The timing of spawning events, and/or the rate of brood survival, may be influenced by fluctuations in the flood level, resulting in a non-unimodal distribution of size classes for the subsequent 1+ cohort.

scholarly journals Nematode larvae with zoonotic importance found in peacock bass Cichla monoculus (Spix & Agassiz, 1831) from floodplain lakes in Central Amazon

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hellen Paredio Santana ◽  
Camila Saraiva dos Anjos ◽  
Aprigio Mota Morais ◽  
José Celso de Oliveira Malta
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Floodplain Lakes ◽  
Zoonotic Potential ◽  
Central Amazon ◽  
Amazon Floodplain ◽  
Nematode Larvae ◽  
Four Seasons ◽  
Third Stage ◽  
Peacock Bass

This study exhibits data pertaining to the zoonotic potential of larvae of nematode of peacock bass (Cichla monoculus). Thirty-eight specimens were collected from Central Amazon floodplain lakes throughout the four seasons of a complete hydrological cycle: rising, high, receding and low water level. Third-stage larvae (L3) of Anisakis sp. and Contracaecum sp. Nematode larvae were found at prevalences of 13.15% and 7.89% respectively. The results indicated there being low infection hazard to humans consuming C. monoculus from floodplain lakes in Central Amazon.

scholarly journals Spatial and seasonal contrasts of sedimentary organic matter in floodplain lakes of the central Amazon basin

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 467-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Sobrinho ◽  
M. C. Bernardes ◽  
G. Abril ◽  
J.-H. Kim ◽  
C. I Zell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Surface Sediments ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
High Water ◽  
Floodplain Lakes ◽  
Sedimentary Organic Matter ◽  
C3 Plant ◽  
Geochemical Tracers ◽  
Central Amazon

Abstract. In this study, we investigated the seasonal and spatial pattern of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) in five floodplain lakes of the central Amazon basin (Cabaliana, Janauaca, Canaçari, Mirituba and Curuai) which have different morphologies, hydrodynamics and vegetation coverages. Surface sediments were collected in four hydrological seasons: low water (LW), rising water (RW), high water (HW) and falling water (FW) in 2009 and 2010. We investigated commonly used bulk geochemical tracers such as the C : N ratio and the stable isotopic composition of organic carbon (δ13Corg). These results were compared with lignin phenol parameters as an indicator of vascular plant detritus and branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) to trace the input of soil organic matter (OM) from land to the aquatic settings. We also applied the crenarchaeol as an indicator of aquatic (rivers and lakes) OM. Our data showed that during the RW and FW seasons, the surface sediments were enriched in lignin and brGDGTs in comparison to other seasons. Our study also indicated that floodplain lake sediments primarily consisted of allochthonous, C3 plant-derived OM. However, a downstream increase in C4 macrophyte-derived OM contribution was observed along the gradient of increasing open waters – i.e., from upstream to downstream. Accordingly, we attribute the temporal and spatial difference in SOM composition to the hydrological dynamics between the floodplain lakes and the surrounding flooded forests.

scholarly journals Historic carbon burial spike in an Amazon floodplain lake linked to riparian deforestation near Santarem, Brazil

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana M. Sanders ◽  
Kathryn Taffs ◽  
Debra Stokes ◽  
Christian J. Sanders ◽  
Alex Enrich-Prast ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Sediment Accumulation ◽  
Lacustrine Sediments ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Depositional Environments ◽  
Floodplain Lake ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Amazon Floodplain ◽  
Carbon Burial ◽  
Deforestation Rates

Abstract. The forests along the Amazon Basin produce significant quantities of organic material, a portion of which is deposited in floodplain lakes. However, potentially important effects of ongoing deforestation in the watershed on these carbon fluxes is still poorly understood. Here, a sediment core was extracted from an Amazon floodplain lake to examine the relationship between carbon burial and land cover/use. Historical records from 1942 and satellite data from 1975 were used to calculate deforestation rates between 1942 and 1975, and 1975 to 2008 in four zones with different distances from the margins of the lake and its tributaries (100, 500, 1000 and 6000-m buffers). Sediment accumulation rates were determined from the 240+239Pu signatures and the excess 210Pb method, reaching near 3.8 and 4.2 mm year−1 in the last 60 and 120 years respectively. The average carbon burial rates ranged between 100 and 350 g C m−2 year−1, with pulses of high carbon burial derived from the forest vegetation, as indicated by δ13C and δ15N signatures, which corresponded to heavy deforestation in the 1940 and 50s. Finally, our results revealed a potentially important spatial dependence of the OC burial in Amazon lacustrine sediments in relation to deforestation rates in the catchment. These deforestation rates were more intense in the riparian vegetation (100-m buffer) during the period 1942–1975 and the larger open water areas (500, 1000 and 6000-m buffer) during 1975–2008. The continued removal of vegetation from the interior of the forest was not related to the peak of OC burial in the lake, but only the riparian deforestation around 1950. Our novel findings suggest the importance of abrupt and temporary events in which some of the biomass released by the deforestation, especially restricted to areas along open water edges, might reach the depositional environments in the floodplain of the Amazon Basin.

scholarly journals Spatial and seasonal contrasts of sedimentary organic matter in floodplain lakes of the central Amazon basin

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 8747-8787 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Sobrinho ◽  
M. C. Bernardes ◽  
G. Abril ◽  
J.-H. Kim ◽  
C. I. Zell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Surface Sediments ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
High Water ◽  
Floodplain Lakes ◽  
Sedimentary Organic Matter ◽  
C3 Plant ◽  
Geochemical Tracers ◽  
Central Amazon

Abstract. In this study, we investigated the seasonal and spatial pattern of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) in five floodplain lakes of the central Amazon basin (Cabaliana, Janauaca, Canaçari, Miratuba, and Curuai) which have different morphologies, hydrodynamics and vegetation coverages. Surface sediments were collected in four hydrological seasons: low water (LW), rising water (RW), high water (HW) and falling water (FW) in 2009 and 2010. We investigated commonly used bulk geochemical tracers such as the C : N ratio and the stable isotopic composition of organic carbon (δ13Corg). These results were compared with lignin-phenol parameters as an indicator of vascular plant detritus and branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) to trace the input of soil organic matter (OM) from land to the aquatic settings. We also applied the isoprenoid GDGT (iGDGT) crenarchaeol as an indicator of riverine suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM). Our data showed that during the RW and FW seasons, the surface sediments were enriched in lignin and brGDGTs in comparison to other seasons. Our study also indicated that floodplain lake sediments primarily consisted of allochthonous, C3 plant-derived OM. However, a downstream increase in C4 macrophyte derived OM contribution was observed along the gradient of increasing open waters, i.e. from upstream to downstream. Accordingly, we attribute temporal and spatial difference in SOM composition to the hydrological dynamics between the floodplain lakes and the surrounding flooded forests.

scholarly journals Historic carbon burial spike in an Amazon floodplain lake linked to riparian deforestation near Santarém, Brazil

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 447-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana M. Sanders ◽  
Kathryn Taffs ◽  
Debra Stokes ◽  
Christian J. Sanders ◽  
Alex Enrich-Prast ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Depositional Environments ◽  
Floodplain Lake ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Amazon Floodplain ◽  
Carbon Burial ◽  
Deforestation Rates ◽  
The 1950S

Abstract. Forests along the Amazon Basin produce significant quantities of organic material, a portion of which is deposited in floodplain lakes. Deforestation in the watershed may then have potentially important effects on the carbon fluxes. In this study, a sediment core was extracted from an Amazon floodplain lake to examine the relationship between carbon burial and changing land cover and land use. Historical records from the 1930s and satellite data from the 1970s were used to calculate deforestation rates between 1930 to 1970 and 1970 to 2010 in four zones with different distances from the margins of the lake and its tributaries (100, 500, 1000 and 6000 m buffers). A sediment accumulation rate of ∼4 mm yr−1 for the previous ∼120 years was determined from the 240+239Pu signatures and the excess 210Pb method. The carbon burial rates ranged between 85 and 298 gCm-2yr-1, with pulses of high carbon burial in the 1950s, originating from the forest vegetation as indicated by δ13C and δ15N signatures. Our results revealed a potentially important spatial dependence of the organic carbon (OC) burial in Amazon lacustrine sediments in relation to deforestation rates in the catchment. These deforestation rates were more intense in the riparian vegetation (100 m buffer) during the period 1930 to 1970 and the larger open water areas (500, 1000 and 6000 m buffer) during 1970 to 2010. The continued removal of vegetation from the interior of the forest was not related to the peak of OC burial in the lake, but only the riparian deforestation which peaked during the 1950s. Therefore, this supports the conservation priority of riparian forests as an important management practice for Amazon flooded areas. Our findings suggest the importance of abrupt and temporary events in which some of the biomass released by deforestation, especially restricted to areas along open water edges, might reach the depositional environments in the floodplain of the Amazon Basin.

LBA-ECO LC-07 MONTHLY MEAN FLOODED WETLANDS HABITAT, CENTRAL AMAZON BASIN: 1979-1996

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.R. FORSBERG, ◽  
M. GASTIL, ◽  
S.K. HAMILTON, ◽  
L.L. HESS, ◽  
I.B.T. LIMA, ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Central Amazon
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document