Freshwater swamp forest is a biome of forest standing in freshwater that floods it either permanently or only for part of the year, typically along the lower reaches of rivers and around freshwater lakes, occurring in climates ranging from boreal to tropical. Its water depth varies from a few centimeters to several meters and floods irregularly or seasonally rather than on any fixed cycle, drawing on rain, rivers and groundwater together, which sets it apart from a peat bog, fed by rainfall alone; because its water carries silt from the land, a freshwater swamp forest's soil tends to be comparatively rich in nutrients rather than poor, unlike a bog's. Its trees include mangroves in some settings alongside palms and hardwoods such as mahogany and ebony, forming dense canopies that shade a wet understory, and many of its plants show adaptations such as pneumatophores, aerial roots that let them breathe in waterlogged ground. The biome is found worldwide, in Southeast Asia, tropical Africa and South America, with its largest expanses in the Amazon basin, and further significant stretches along rivers such as the Mekong, the Chao Phraya and the Irrawaddy. It is distinct from a mangrove forest, and despite its wide distribution it remains comparatively understudied next to the more prominent wetland biomes.
Facts
Climate
Annual Precipitation (mm)1400mm sits within the cited 1,300 to 1,500mm range for the Tonle Sap Basin-Mekong Lowlands, where the Tonle Sap freshwater swamp forest lies. Typical Low Temperature (C)General Cambodia seasonal range, representative of the Tonle Sap freshwater swamp forest, the biome's best-documented single example. Typical High Temperature (C)General Cambodia seasonal range; see temperature-low-c for the same caveat. Freshwater Swamp Forest
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Source Abies balsamea (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Flat-headed Cat
Source Plants For A Future: Iris pseudacorus
Source Plants For A Future: Dacrycarpus dacrydioides
Source Plants For A Future: Lophira alata plant record
Source Nepenthes spathulata (Wikipedia)
Source Plants For A Future: Quercus bicolor
Source Wikipedia: Sunda leopard cat
Source Wikipedia: Victoria Crowned Pigeon
Source Ceratopteris thalictroides (Wikipedia)
Source Western Lowland Gorilla (Wikipedia)
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1. Geography of Cambodia (Wikipedia)
WikipediaClimate sectionQuote, Climate section
Rainfall from April to September in the Tonlé Sap Basin-Mekong Lowlands area averages 1,300 to 1,500 mm (51.2 to 59.1 in) annually, but the amount varies considerably from year to year.
View the Source 2. Cambodia's Climate: Patterns, Challenges, and Living Realities (Wonders of Cambodia)
Wonders of CambodiaClimate patterns sectionQuote, Climate patterns section
temperatures typically ranging between 21C (70F) in cooler periods and 35C (95F) or more in the hot season
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Wikipedia: Flat-headed Cat
WikipediaHome To: Flat-headed Cat, Wikipedia intro: "Sumatra. It is also native to the Thai-Malay Peninsula and Borneo, and inhabits wetlands like mixed freshwater swamp forests, peat swamp forests and lowland fre..."View the Source Western Lowland Gorilla (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Western Lowland Gorilla, Wikipedia 'Western lowland gorilla': lives in montane, primary and secondary forest and lowland swampland in central AfricaView the Source Wikipedia: Sunda leopard cat
WikipediaHome To: Sunda Leopard Cat, Section: Distribution and habitat; begins "In Kalimantan, Sunda leopard cats were recorded"Quote, Home To: Sunda Leopard Cat, Section: Distribution and habitat; begins "In Kalimantan, Sunda leopard cats were recorded"
In Kalimantan, Sunda leopard cats were recorded in mixed swamp forest and tall interior forest at elevations below 20 m (66 ft) in the vicinity of Sabangau National Park between 2008 and 2018.
View the Source Wikipedia: Victoria Crowned Pigeon
WikipediaHome To: Victoria Crowned Pigeon, HabitatQuote, Home To: Victoria Crowned Pigeon, Habitat
The Victoria crowned pigeon is distributed in the lowland and swamp forests of northern New Guinea and surrounding islands.
View the Source Abies balsamea (Wikipedia)
Home To: Balsam Fir, EcologyQuote, Home To: Balsam Fir, Ecology
They typically grow in the following four forest types: Swamp, swamp forest types never completely dry out, so balsam firs have constant access to water.
View the Source Plants For A Future: Dacrycarpus dacrydioides
Plants For A FutureHome To: Kahikatea, HabitatsQuote, Home To: Kahikatea, Habitats
Lowland forest, often dominant in swamp forests, North, South and Stewart Islands
View the Source Plants For A Future: Quercus bicolor
Plants For A FutureHome To: Quercus bicolor, HabitatsQuote, Home To: Quercus bicolor, Habitats
Bottomlands, stream margins and swamps ... Tolerant of poorly drained sites, it is frequently found in heavy mucky soils
View the Source Plants For A Future: Iris pseudacorus
Plants For A FutureHome To: Iris pseudacorus, HabitatsQuote, Home To: Iris pseudacorus, Habitats
Damp marshy areas, swampy woods and in shallow water or wet ground on the edges of rivers and ditches ... Often found in shady places
View the Source Plants For A Future: Lophira alata plant record
Plants For A FutureHome To: Lophira alata, Habitats: evergreen and moist deciduous forests, swamp forests, riverbanksQuote, Home To: Lophira alata, Habitats: evergreen and moist deciduous forests, swamp forests, riverbanks
Evergreen and moist deciduous forests, in freshwater swamp forests, and close to riverbanks
View the Source Nepenthes spathulata (Wikipedia)
Home To: Nepenthes spathulata, HabitatQuote, Home To: Nepenthes spathulata, Habitat
Nepenthes spathulata is also known to grow terrestrially in high altitude peat swamp forest near Lake Kerinci, at an altitude of 1,100 m.
View the Source Ceratopteris thalictroides (Wikipedia)
Home To: Water Sprite, Habitat swamp forestQuote, Home To: Water Sprite, Habitat swamp forest
Ceratopteris thalictroides is often found near stagnant water or in still pockets along slow flowing rivers in swampy areas, swamp forests, sago swamps, marshes, natural and man-made ponds.
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