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Abstract

The floodplains of the Amazon River and its main tributaries have a high species diversity, and a big diversity of survival strategies and adaptations which enable the organisms to perform high productivities despite the prolongued periods of flooding. The periodicity of the ,flood pulse' causes a predictability which is important for the evolution of anatomical, morphological and physiological adaptations. Plants and animals live in close relationships: fish use the flooded forests for breeding and feed on the fruits produced by the trees which are this way dispersed. Related to the sediment load of the flooding rivers, nutrient-rich whitewater and nutrient-poor blackwater floodplains can be distinguished. For the local population, especially the productive whitewater floodplains are attractive and are thus relatively densily populated. Small-scale agriculture, hunting, fishing and timber extraction are main sources of income. The sustainable use of the natural ressources, such as rubber, fruits or wild rice, is small and due to the exploitation by man huge areas of the floodplains are strongly disturbed.