Amazonian floodplains harbour minerotrophic and ombrotrophic peatlands

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
The AA. quantify the horizontal distribution of 4 important plant nutrients (Ca, Mg, K and P) in 5 peatland sites located in Peruvian Amazonia and the vertical distribution of these nutrients in one of the sites. With this data as well as topography measurements of the peat deposit from one of the sites, they showed that minerotrophic and ombrotrophic peatlands can be detected in Amazonian floodplains. The nutrient-poor ombrotrophic bogs receive nutrients only from atmospheric deposition because of their thick peat layer and convex topography, while the minerotrophic swamps are periodically covered by nutrient-rich floodwater and/or receive nutrient input from surface waters or from groundwater with capillary rise. The existence of such peatlands in the Amazonian lowlands increases the regional habitat diversity and availability of palaeoecological information and probably has implications also for the hydrological dynamics, water quality, and carbon dynamics of the area.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Catena (Giessen), issn : 0341-8162, 2009, vol. 79, n°. 2, p. 140-145, nombre de pages : 6, Références bibliographiques : 1 p.

Date :
2009

Editeur :
Pays édition : Allemagne, Cremlingen-Destedt, Catena