Home›Species›Habitat›Freshwater Swamp ForestBiomeFreshwater Swamp ForestFreshwater and Wetland BiomesReference and ClassificationVerifiedFreshwater 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.FactsFreshwater Swamp ForestConnectionsSourcesTake a Related QuizComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsClimateAnnual Precipitation (mm)Well-attested1400 11400mm 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)Well-attested21 2General Cambodia seasonal range, representative of the Tonle Sap freshwater swamp forest, the biome's best-documented single example.Typical High Temperature (C)Well-attested35 2General Cambodia seasonal range; see temperature-low-c for the same caveat.Freshwater Swamp ForestFilter Results14 entriesCommon GroupAllCarnations And Cacti (Caryophyllales) (1)Crocodilians (1)Cypresses And Junipers (Cupressaceae) (1)Lilies And Orchids (Liliales/Asparagales) (1)Pigeons And Doves (1)Pines (Pinaceae) (1)Podocarps (Podocarpaceae) (1)Roses And Relatives (Rosales) (1)Spurges And Willows (Malpighiales) (1)Turtles And Tortoises (Testudines) (1)Water Ferns (Aquatic Ferns) (1)TaxonomyAllAbies (1)Alligator (1)Chelydridae (1)Columbidae (1)Cupressaceae (1)Fagaceae (1)Hominidae (1)Liliales (1)Magnoliopsida (1)Nepenthes (1)Plantae (1)Prionailurus (2)Pteridophyta (1)Conservation StatusAllCritically Endangered (1)Endangered (2)Least Concern (8)Near Threatened (1)Not Evaluated (1)Vulnerable (1)EcosystemAllCongo Basin Rainforest (1)Everglades (2)Everyday GroupAllCarnations And Cacti (Caryophyllales) (1)Crocodilians (1)Cypresses And Junipers (Cupressaceae) (1)Lilies And Orchids (Liliales/Asparagales) (1)Pigeons And Doves (1)Pines (Pinaceae) (1)Podocarps (Podocarpaceae) (1)Roses And Relatives (Rosales) (1)Spurges And Willows (Malpighiales) (1)Turtles And Tortoises (Testudines) (1)Water Ferns (Aquatic Ferns) (1)DietAllCarnivore (3)Herbivore (2)Photosynthetic Autotroph (7)System (Realm)AllFreshwater (5)Terrestrial (11)Relationship to PeopleAllEaten or Drunk by People (2)Hunted or Fished (3)Invasive or Introduced Species (1)No Significant Interaction with Humans (1)Source of Dye (1)Source of Timber or Wood (2)Used in Traditional Medicine (4)Living or ExtinctAllYes (13)Where It LivesAllAfrica (1)Alagoas (1)Albania (1)Algeria (1)Amapa (1)Amazonia (1)Argentina (1)Australasia (1)Australia (3)Austria (2)Bahia (1)Bangladesh (1)Belarus (1)Belgium (2)Benin (1)Brazil (1)Bulgaria (2)Cameroon (1)Canada (2)Central African Republic (1)Chad (1)Chile (1)China (3)Croatia (1)Cyprus (1)Czechia (1)Democratic Republic of the Congo (1)Denmark (3)Ecuador (1)Egypt (1)Equatorial Guinea (1)Estonia (2)Finland (2)France (4)Fujian (1)Gabon (1)Gambia (1)Georgia (2)Germany (4)Ghana (1)Greece (1)Guangdong (1)Guatemala (1)Guinea (1)Guinea-Bissau (1)Hubei (1)Hungary (2)Iceland (1)India (2)Iran (2)Ireland (2)Israel (1)Italy (3)Japan (3)Kazakhstan (1)Laos (1)Liberia (1)Lithuania (1)Luxembourg (1)Maranhao (1)Mato Grosso (1)Minas Gerais (1)Morocco (1)Netherlands (1)Nigeria (1)North America (6)Norway (4)Palestine (1)Pantanal (1)Pernambuco (1)Poland (1)Portugal (2)Rio de Janeiro (1)Rio Grande do Sul (1)Romania (2)Santa Catarina (1)Sierra Leone (1)Singapore (1)South Africa (2)South Asia (3)South Korea (2)Spain (3)Sweden (3)Switzerland (2)Taiwan (1)Tibet (1)Tunisia (2)Uganda (1)Ukraine (1)United Kingdom (2)United States (2)Uruguay (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 14Alligator Snapping TurtleFreshwater Swamp ForestAmerican AlligatorFreshwater Swamp ForestBald CypressFreshwater Swamp ForestBalsam FirFreshwater Swamp ForestFlat-headed CatFreshwater Swamp ForestIris pseudacorusFreshwater Swamp ForestKahikateaFreshwater Swamp ForestLophira alataFreshwater Swamp ForestNepenthes spathulataFreshwater Swamp ForestQuercus bicolorFreshwater Swamp ForestSunda Leopard CatFreshwater Swamp ForestVictoria Crowned PigeonFreshwater Swamp ForestWater SpriteFreshwater Swamp ForestWestern Lowland GorillaFreshwater Swamp ForestConnectionsHome ToAlligator Snapping Turtle, Species Well-attested Source Encyclopaedia Britannicatier 1Amazon Varzea Forest, Ecosystems Well-attested Source World Wildlife FundAmerican Alligator, Species Well-attested Source Encyclopaedia Britannicatier 1Bald Cypress, Species Well-attested Source Encyclopaedia Britannicatier 1Balsam Fir, Species Well-attested Source Abies balsamea (Wikipedia)Flat-headed Cat, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Flat-headed Cattier 2Iris pseudacorus, Species Well-attested Source Plants For A Future: Iris pseudacorusKahikatea, Species Well-attested Source Plants For A Future: Dacrycarpus dacrydioidesLophira alata, Species Well-attested Source Plants For A Future: Lophira alata plant recordNepenthes spathulata, Species Well-attested Source Nepenthes spathulata (Wikipedia)Quercus bicolor, Species Well-attested Source Plants For A Future: Quercus bicolorSunda Leopard Cat, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Sunda leopard cattier 2Victoria Crowned Pigeon, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Victoria Crowned Pigeontier 2Water Sprite, Species Well-attested Source Ceratopteris thalictroides (Wikipedia)Western Lowland Gorilla, Species Well-attested Source Western Lowland Gorilla (Wikipedia)tier 2Sources1. Geography of Cambodia (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaClimate sectionQuote, Climate sectionRainfall 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 Source2. Cambodia's Climate: Patterns, Challenges, and Living Realities (Wonders of Cambodia)tier 4Wonders of CambodiaClimate patterns sectionQuote, Climate patterns sectiontemperatures typically ranging between 21C (70F) in cooler periods and 35C (95F) or more in the hot seasonView the SourceEncyclopaedia Britannicatier 1Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.Home To: Bald CypressHome To: American AlligatorHome To: Alligator Snapping TurtleView the SourceWorld Wildlife FundWorld Wildlife FundHome To: Amazon Varzea ForestView the SourceWikipedia: Flat-headed Cattier 2WikipediaHome 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 SourceWestern Lowland Gorilla (Wikipedia)tier 2Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Western Lowland Gorilla, Wikipedia 'Western lowland gorilla': lives in montane, primary and secondary forest and lowland swampland in central AfricaView the SourceWikipedia: Sunda leopard cattier 2WikipediaHome 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 SourceWikipedia: Victoria Crowned Pigeontier 2WikipediaHome To: Victoria Crowned Pigeon, HabitatQuote, Home To: Victoria Crowned Pigeon, HabitatThe Victoria crowned pigeon is distributed in the lowland and swamp forests of northern New Guinea and surrounding islands.View the SourceAbies balsamea (Wikipedia)Home To: Balsam Fir, EcologyQuote, Home To: Balsam Fir, EcologyThey 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 SourcePlants For A Future: Dacrycarpus dacrydioidesPlants For A FutureHome To: Kahikatea, HabitatsQuote, Home To: Kahikatea, HabitatsLowland forest, often dominant in swamp forests, North, South and Stewart IslandsView the SourcePlants For A Future: Quercus bicolorPlants For A FutureHome To: Quercus bicolor, HabitatsQuote, Home To: Quercus bicolor, HabitatsBottomlands, stream margins and swamps ... Tolerant of poorly drained sites, it is frequently found in heavy mucky soilsView the SourcePlants For A Future: Iris pseudacorusPlants For A FutureHome To: Iris pseudacorus, HabitatsQuote, Home To: Iris pseudacorus, HabitatsDamp marshy areas, swampy woods and in shallow water or wet ground on the edges of rivers and ditches ... Often found in shady placesView the SourcePlants For A Future: Lophira alata plant recordPlants 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, riverbanksEvergreen and moist deciduous forests, in freshwater swamp forests, and close to riverbanksView the SourceNepenthes spathulata (Wikipedia)Home To: Nepenthes spathulata, HabitatQuote, Home To: Nepenthes spathulata, HabitatNepenthes 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 SourceCeratopteris thalictroides (Wikipedia)Home To: Water Sprite, Habitat swamp forestQuote, Home To: Water Sprite, Habitat swamp forestCeratopteris 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.View the SourceTake a Related QuizWorld Biomes in ExtremesCovers this kind of entry.Comments (0)No comments yet. 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