Diversity of tree association and forest structure were analysed in relation to microtopography and flooding intensity in a tropical freshwater swamp forest in the sinnamary river basin, french guiana. The natural swamp forests of bangladesh have been especially susceptible to climate change as they are limited in range to a. Service, forest service, florida department of environmental protection andor other. Riverine swamp forests are found throughout the carolinas but are most abundant in the coastal plain region, and can range in size from narrow strips of land to hundreds of acres. Tropical forest ecosystems are generally seen as diverse ecosystems with rich biodiversity. These forests are usually the next forest type to develop behind the mangrove swamps. To prepare, juniors should read the forest story about adventures in each of their designated ecosystems. The fakahatchee strand is the largest mixed swamp forest in the big cypress swamp. If you are generating a pdf of a journal article or book chapter. Structure and phytodiversity of freshwater swamp forest in oilrich bonny, rivers state, nigeria.
Intermediates should read the informative text about their designated ecosystems. Bobcats can be found throughout the united states, but there is an abundance of the fourlegged mammals in every county of the sunshine state. Igu department of geography and meteorology, nnamdi azikiwe university, awka, nigeria abstract tropical forest ecosystems are generally seen as diverse ecosystems with rich biodiversity. It is the regions main source of timber and forest products, and habitat for endangered and. They once covered half of the state, but drainage and development have reduced wetlands to about 10% of floridas land area. They have standing water for part or all of the year, according to the south florida information access website. Maple, oak, willow, and other swamp hardwoods became dominant after the removal alexander and crook, 1973. Freshwater wetlands swamps swamps dominated by woody plants, such as trees and shrubs occur on flat, poorly drained land, often near streams. Four 250x40 m transects containing five 10x10 m randomly laid quadrats were used in 1 hectare plot to increase the chances. The water in wetlands is either freshwater, brackish, or saltwater. A study in nee soon swamp forest, singapore, was conducted to investigate association of limnoterrestrial pygmy grasshoppers with waterbodies and microhabitat. The facts about southern deepwater swamp forests southern deepwater swamp forests are a type of freshwater wetland often found along the floodplains of large rivers. Some freshwater swamps also experience a dry season. His research interests mainly lie in freshwater biodiversity, especially ichthyology, as.
They are mainly found in reservoirs of deccan plateau, saline coast of gujarat, rajasthan and gulf of kutch, eastern coast deltas, lakes and rivers of kashmir and ladakh, swamps in north east india. The freshwater biome is defined as having a low salt content versus the marine biome which is saltwater like the ocean. Igu, nwabueze 2016 freshwater swamp forest ecosystem in the niger delta. Description of freshwater swamps for intermediates pdf. This is only one fresh water swamp forest of bangladesh with special features dey, 20. Pdf rediscoveries, new records, and the floristic value. Pdf species diversity and structure of an intact freshwater. Details the freshwater swampforest of south johore and.
Species diversity and structure of an intact freshwater swamp forest in the niger delta nwabueze i. Tree species diversity and forest structure in relation to. Though they are hosts to important biodiversity as in other tropical ecosystems, their ecology, function and. The biodiversity heritage library works collaboratively to make biodiversity literature openly available to the world as part of a global biodiversity community. To verify how diverse this ecosystem is and how its structure varies in an intact forest landscape, one hectare forest plots were set up at 8 different points. Species diversity and structure of an intact freshwater swamp forest in the niger delta. Pdf the biological, ecological and conservation significance of. Structure and phytodiversity of freshwater swamp forest in. Littoral and swamp forests upsc exam preparation topic of. These swamp forests also support cryptic animal species such as the prothonatory warbler. The main wetland types are swamp, marsh, bog, and fen.
Each bar represents the amount of coverage for all the species growing at that height. Freshwater swamp forest ecosystem in the niger delta. Ecological patterns and sustainability of freshwater swamp. The swamp forest occurs in at least six disjunct localities and is dominated by hydrophytic trees eugenia spp. The freshwater swampforest of south johore and singapore by. The virginia department of conservation and recreation. A 530mlong vegetation transect was established through a hummockhollow terrain. Disconnection from the river deprived the swamp of the seasonal high and low flows that both enriched.
However, how this applies to the freshwater swamp forests especially in west africa is largely unknown. Littoral forests and swamp forests are also called the wetland forests. Freshwater swamp forests are wetland ecosystems of global importance, especially because they provide very valuable ecosystem services such as regulation of flood and maintenance of water quality, and provide suitable habitat for the conservation of wetland ecosystems flora and fauna. It represents the brackish swamp forests that lie behind the sundarbans mangroves, where the salinity is more pronounced. The sundarbans freshwater swamp forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of bangladesh.
Over very short distances, changes both in the structure and. Wed like to understand how you use our websites in order to improve them. Freshwater swamp forests, or flooded forests, are forests which are inundated with freshwater. Forests and water food and agriculture organization of the united. We correlated the abundance with major gradients of variation. Perception and insights forest ecosystems are increasingly seen as vital resources and elements for the sustenance of households. The freshwater swamp forest in bonny rivers state, nigeria was investigated to determine the forest structure and phytodiversity. Global climate change is impacting the distribution and abundance of species acting as a major cause of species extinction. Thus, forestry is an important economic activity in the area. Because layers overlap shrubs may grow under trees, for example, the shaded regions can add up to more than 100%. Ecological patterns and sustainability of freshwater swamp forest.
A diffuse freshwater stream flowing through a shallow forested depression on a gently sloping plain cypress dome also called cypress ponds or heads. Freshwater swamp forest trees of bangladesh face extinction risk. Originally, freshwater swamp forest in singapore covered about 74 km2, or about % of the island, before the advent of major human activity on the island, but is now estimated to cover only 1. The forest resources are intensively exploited manually by artisanal loggers and hunters, and on a large industrial scale in states like ondo, edo, delta, bayelsa, rivers, and cross river. The freshwater swamp ecosystem is located between the lowland rain forest to the north and the mangrove swamp forest to the south. It is rapid in freshwater swamp forest ecosystems, since they support disproportionate levels of biodiversity compared to their spatial coverage. Go here if you want to learn more about the marine biome. Types of freshwater biomes there are three main types of freshwater biomes. The biological, ecological and conservation significance. A guide to the freshwater fauna of nee soon swamp forest. Many of the characteristic species of lowland rain forests are also found here, although these forests contain no endemic mammal or bird species.
Land cover change in a freshwater swamp forest landscape. Tidal wetlands tidal swamp forests and woodlands photo gallery click any photo to enter gallery. Species diversity and structure of an intact freshwater. Mangrove swamps occur in warm climates near the ocean, so their water is salty. Due to their dependence on freshwater to keep salinity levels low, tidal freshwater marshes are more vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Freshwater swamp forests are found on in valleys and along water courses that are subjected to periodic inundation by fresh water. Dominated by woody shrubs or waterloving trees, depending on the latitude and climate in the swamp. Native and introduced fish community structure in a. The everglades is 97 kilometers 60 miles wide and 160 kilometers 100 miles long. The freshwater swamp forest fauna is much more diverse than the fauna of peat swamp forests, being more similar to that of lowland rain forests. A rich collection of wildlife, from alligators to panthers, calls this freshwater swamp home. Answer multiplechoice questions about each ecosystem. However, how this applies to the freshwater swamp forests es. Wetlands include freshwater marshes, swamps, bottomland hardwood forests, bogs, and wet meadows. Request pdf freshwater swamp forest use in the niger delta. This figure helps visualize the structure and look or feel of a typical freshwater tidal swamp. Specifically, we looked at the abundance and species assemblage of all pygmy grasshoppers. Article pdf available in open journal of forestry 72. The coastal forests are diverse, including moist lowland forest, freshwater swamp forest, mangrove zone, etc.
They are filled with water most or all of the year, and often form a 1 to 2mile wide band extending from the river marshes to the bottomland forests along creeks that flow into. Freshwater swamps floridas wetlands, including both swamps with trees and marshes treeless, are extremely complex and relatively poorly understood. As part of recent field studies, a hitherto undescribed type of evergreen freshwater swamp forest was discovered in stung treng province, cambodia. Plants common in the swamps include cypress and other trees, vines, ferns and the air plants, or epiphytes. Called the river of grass, this freshwater swamp is actually a wide, slowmoving river flowing from the kissimmee river near orlando to the straits of florida. The international year of freshwater iyf 2003 and the third world water. The original vegetation in these freshwater swamp forests may have been melaleucadominated bap 1995. The freshwater ecoregion is an area where the water is only slightly brackish and. Freshwater swamp forest use in the niger delta university of york. The strand was logged in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and virtually all large cypress trees were removed.
These areas are covered by water for all or at least part of the year. Indeed the freshwater swamp forest ecosystems are not only poorly understood, estimated and studied, but are largely unexplored as regards its. Species composition and factors that control the distribution of freshwater swamp forests in west africa are largely unknown. Four 250x40 m transects containing five 10x10 m randomly laid quadrats were used in 1 hectare plot to increase the chances of encountering and inventorizing all species. However, beyond these commonalities, conditions found within freshwater swamp. Swamp forests are a major forest type with a unique role in local water balance and the. Implications for biodiversity conservation abstract fulltext html xml download as pdf size. Swamp forest occurs inland of the mangroves in freshwater conditions. An influential feature of tidal swamp habitats is a pronounced hummockandhollow microtopography, where raised areas above the highest tide level provide stable substrates for the establishment of trees and microhabitats for more mesophytic forest herbs. Bobcatsaside from the florida panther, the bobcat is the only other feline specifies that can be found throughout florida, according to the coryi foundation inc. Freshwater tidal swamp guide new york natural heritage. Freshwater swamp forest occurs on permanently or seasonally flooded mineral soils, often in zones up to 5 km wide, along rivers or around freshwater lakes. Sofia pp 1011 ecosystems of south florida freshwater. Further, the catchment contains nee soon freshwater swamp forest, which as the last remaining intact freshwater swamp forest in singapore is of critical conservation value corlett, 1997.
954 1245 762 147 441 940 1309 1469 1070 316 1375 1603 911 115 1101 855 1046 1275 1578 972 679 687 1268 33 358 844 1587 701 1642 574 799 783 562 1030 1260 1498 961 1204 1205 547 568 684 978 42