Notes on the vegetation of amazonia III. The terminology of amazonian forest types subject to inundation (original) (raw)

• 603 Accesses
• 412 Citations
• 6 Altmetric
• Explore all metrics

Abstract

The types of Amazonian forests subject to inundation can be organized into seven categories which are herewith named and described. This classification is intended to set in order the confusion of terminology used in the past. The types are: (1)seasonal várzea—forest flooded by regular annual cycles of white-water rivers; (2)seasonal igapó—forest flooded by regular annual cycles of black- and clear-water rivers; (3) mangrove—forests flooded twice daily by salt-water tides; (4)tidal várzea—forest flooded twice daily by fresh water backed up from tides; (5)floodplain forest—on low lying ground flooded by irregular rainfall, generally in upper reaches of rivers; (6)permanent white- water swamp forest; (7)permanent igapó—black-water forest. The first five types are periodically inundated and the last two are permanently waterlogged. This terminology is closer to that used by lim nologists by restricting the use of_igapó_ to forest inundated by black and clear water.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

• Starting from 10 chapters or articles per month
• Access and download chapters and articles from more than 300k books and 2,500 journals
• Cancel anytime View plans

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

• Adis, J. 1977. Programa mínimo para análises de ecosistemas: Antrópodos terrestres em florestas inundáveis da AmazÔnia Central. Acta Amazonica 7: 223–229.
  Google Scholar
• Anonymous. 1972. Die lonenfracht der Rio Negro, Staat Amazonas, Brasilien, nach Unter-suchungen von Dr. Harold Ungemach. Amazoniana 3(2): 175–185.
  Google Scholar
• Aubréville, A. 1961. étude écologique des principales formations végétales du Brésil et contribution á la connaissance des forÊts de l’Amazonie Brésilienne. Centr. Techn. Forest. Trop. (Paris). 268 pp.
  Google Scholar
• Camargo, F. E. 1968. Recursos naturais e humanos da AmazÔnia. Revista Brasil. Polit. Internatl. XI (41/42): 84–100.
  Google Scholar
• Ducke, A. & G. A. Black 1953. Phytogeographical notes on the Brazilian Amazon. Anais Acad. Brasil. Ci. 25(1): 1–46.
  Google Scholar
• —. 1954. Notas sobre a fitogeografia da AmazÔnia Brasileira. Bol. Técn. Inst. Agron. N. 29: 1–62.
  Google Scholar
• Gessner, F. 1968. Zur ökolgischen Problematik der UberschwemmungswÄlder das Amazonas. Int. Rev. gesampten Hydrobiol. 53: 525–527.
  Article Google Scholar
• Goodland, R. J. A. & H. S. Irwin. 1975. Amazon jungle: Green hell to red desert? Elsevier. Amsterdam & New York. 155 pp.
  Google Scholar
• -. 1977. Amazonian forest and cerrado: development and environmental conserva-tion. Pp. 214–233. In: G. T. Prance & T. S. Elias (eds.). Extinction is forever. New York Bot. Gard.
• Irmler, U. 1977. Inundation—Forest types in the vicinity of Manaus. Biogeographica 8: 17–29.
  Google Scholar
• Moreira, E. 1970. Os Igapos e seu aproveitamento. Imprensa Universitaria, Belém-Pará.
• Pires, J. M. 1961. EsbÔÇo fitogeográfico da AmazÔnica. Revista Soc. Agron. Pará 7: 3–8.
  Google Scholar
• Prance, G. T. 1975. Flora and vegetation. Pp. 101–111.In: R. J. A. Goodland & H. S. Irwin. Amazon jungle: Green hell to red desert? Elsevier. Amsterdam & New York.
  Google Scholar
• Richards, P. W. 1952. The tropical rain forest. Cambridge Univ. Press. 450 pp.
• Schmidt, G. W. 1972a. Chemical properties of some waters in the tropical rain forest of Central Amazonia along the new road Manaus-Caracaraí. Amazoniana 3(2): 199–207.
  Google Scholar
• —. 1972b. Amounts of suspended and dissolved substances in the middle reaches of the Amazon over the course of one year. Amazoniana 3(2): 208–223.
  Google Scholar
• Sioli, H. 1951. Zum Alterungsprozess von Flüssen und Flüsstypen im Amazonasgebiet. Arch. Hydrobiol. 45: 267–283.
  Google Scholar
• —. 1956. über Natur und Mensch im brasilianischen Amazonasgebeit. Erkunde 10(2): 89–109.
  Google Scholar
• —. 1965. Bemerkungen zur Typologie amazonischer Flüsse. Amazoniana 1: 74–83.
  Google Scholar
• —. 1967. Studies in Amazonian waters. Atas do Simpósio sÔbre a Biota AmazÔnica 3: 9–50.
  Google Scholar
• Takeuchi, M. 1962. The structure of the Amazonian vegetation. VI. Igapó. I. Fac. Sci. Univ. Tokyo, Sect. 3, Botany 8: 297–304.
  Google Scholar
• Whitmore, T. C. 1975. Tropical rain forests of the Far East. Clarendon Press, Oxford. 282 pp.
  Google Scholar
• Williams, W. A., R. S. Loomis & P. T. Alvim. 1972. Environments of evergreen rain forests of the lower Rio Negro, Brasil. Tropical Ecology 13: 65–78.
  Google Scholar

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

1. New York Botanical Garden, 10458, NY, Bronx
   Ghillean T. Prance

Authors

1. Ghillean T. Prance

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Prance, G.T. Notes on the vegetation of amazonia III. The terminology of amazonian forest types subject to inundation.Brittonia 31, 26–38 (1979). https://doi.org/10.2307/2806669

Download citation

• Issue date: January 1979
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2806669

Keywords