The Amazon is a huge equatorial forest located in South America and occupies an area of 7 million km2. The region that shelters the Amazon is characterized by high temperature, great atmospheric humidity and enormous amount of rivers; facts that guarantee that this is the largest equatorial forest in the world.
Despite the exuberance shown by the forest, the soils in which it is fixed do not have great nutrient richness. However, on the banks of rivers we can find more fertile soils, known as floodplain. In them, large amounts of nutrients brought by the waters in periods of flood are accumulated, especially coming from areas close to the Andes Mountains. Fertile soils are still found in restricted areas of the Amazon region, especially in the states of Rondônia and Acre.
Amazonian soils have a restricted layer of organic matter found on the surface, known as humus. This thin fertile layer comes from the forest itself, where living organisms (insects, fungi, algae and bacteria) recycle nutrients disposed of in the environment. In addition, other factors contribute to the process, such as the temperature, which remains high throughout the year; the enormous relative humidity of the air present in the region and the restricted climate variation. All of this guarantees the sustainability of the forest.
We can say that the litter sustains the exuberance of the Amazon forest, it is a thin layer of superficial soil. formed from the decomposition of leaves, branches, fruits, and dead animals, which form a rich organic matter. This takes place in a long and complex biological process, which then explains how, despite having poor soil, the forest always remains green and lush.
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By Eduardo de Freitas
Graduated in Geography
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FREITAS, Eduardo de. "Amazonian soil is poor in nutrients"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/brasil/o-solo-amazonia-pobre-nutrientes.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
