Juruá–Purus Moist Forests
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The Juruá–Purus moist forests (NT0133) is an
ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...
in northwest Brazil in the
Amazon biome The Amazon biome () contains the Amazon rainforest, an area of tropical rainforest, and other ecoregions that cover most of the Amazon basin and some adjacent areas to the north and east. The biome contains blackwater river, blackwater and whitewa ...
. The terrain is very flat and soils are poor. The rivers flood annually. There are no roads in the region, and the dense rainforest is relatively intact, although plans to extend the
Trans-Amazonian Highway The Trans-Amazonian Highway (official designation BR-230, official name Rodovia Transamazônica ) was introduced on September 27, 1972. It is 4,000 km long, making it the third longest highway in Brazil. It runs through the Amazon forest and ...
through the region would presumably cause widespread damage to the habitat.


Location

The Juruá–Purus moist forests ecoregion is in the state of Amazonas in northwest Brazil to the south of the Solimões, or upper Amazon River. It has an area of . The ecoregion is bounded to the north, east and south by stretches of the Purus várzea ecoregion along the Solimões and Purus rivers. The ecoregion contains the
Juruá River The Juruá River ( ; ) is a southern affluent river of the Amazon River west of the Purus River. The Juruá emerges from highlands in east-central Peru, then winds its way through lowlands in Brazil, sharing with this the bottom of the immense in ...
, which has typical flora and fauna. Urban centers include Carauari,
Tefé Tefé, known in early accounts as Teffé, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas, northern Brazil. History As early as 1620 the Portuguese Carmelites could already boast of converts amo ...
,
Coari Coari (''Choary'') is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. Geography The municipal seat of Coari is one of the largest cities of the Amazonas state. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Coari. The area has r ...
and
Jutaí Jutaí is a municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinat ...
. The várzea, or flooded forest, extends along rivers within the ecoregion. To the west the Juruá–Purus moist forests adjoin the
Southwest Amazon moist forests The Southwest Amazon moist forests (NT0166) is an ecoregion located in the Upper Amazon basin. The forest is characterized by a relatively flat landscape with alluvial plains dissected by undulating hills or high terraces. The biota of the sou ...
. The western boundary follows the boundary of "dense lowland ombrophilous Amazonian forest" defined by the
Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (; IBGE) is the agency responsible for official collection of statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information in Brazil. IBGE performs a decennial national cen ...
in 1993. The limit in the southwest is northeast of the Carauari Arch, an ancient uplift zone.


Physical

The ecoregion is in the low Amazon basin, with elevations from above sea level. The terrain consists of flat, forest-covered plains cut by large, meandering rivers with many
oxbow lake An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or stream pool, pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is meander cutoff, cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. The word "oxbow" can also refer to a U-shaped bend in a river or stream, whether ...
s and thousands of smaller watercourses, all of which flood each year. Major rivers include the
Jutaí Jutaí is a municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinat ...
, mid-lower Juruá,
Tefé Tefé, known in early accounts as Teffé, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas, northern Brazil. History As early as 1620 the Portuguese Carmelites could already boast of converts amo ...
, Tapauá and mid-lower Purus rivers. The sediments of the low Amazon basin were formed during the late
Tertiary Tertiary (from Latin, meaning 'third' or 'of the third degree/order..') may refer to: * Tertiary period, an obsolete geologic period spanning from 66 to 2.6 million years ago * Tertiary (chemistry), a term describing bonding patterns in organic ch ...
period, and are relatively young and easily eroded. For this reason the rivers are whitewater rivers that hold suspended mineral and organic sediments. Soils include sandy
podzol Podzols, also known as podosols, spodosols, or espodossolos, are the typical soils of coniferous or boreal forests and also the typical soils of eucalypt forests and heathlands in southern Australia. In Western Europe, podzols develop on heathlan ...
s and hydromorphic clay, typically acidic and low in nutrients.


Climate

The
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
is "Af": equatorial, fully humid. Average temperatures are throughout the year. Annual precipitation averages , with as much as in some places. Monthly rainfall is typically , with least rain falling in July.


Ecology

The Juruá–Purus moist forests ecoregion is in the
Neotropical realm The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropics, tropical Ecoregion#Terrestrial, terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperat ...
and the
tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Description TSMF is generally found in la ...
biome. It is part of the Southwestern Amazon Moist Forests global ecoregion, which also includes the
Southwest Amazon moist forests The Southwest Amazon moist forests (NT0166) is an ecoregion located in the Upper Amazon basin. The forest is characterized by a relatively flat landscape with alluvial plains dissected by undulating hills or high terraces. The biota of the sou ...
,
Purus–Madeira moist forests The Purus-Madeira moist forests (NT0157) is an ecoregion in the central Amazon basin. It is part of the Amazon biome. The ecoregion covers a stretch of flat and relatively infertile land between the Purus River, Purus and Madeira River, Madeira ri ...
, and
Madeira–Tapajós moist forests The Madeira–Tapajós moist forests (NT0135) is an ecoregion in the Amazon basin. It is part of the Amazon biome. The ecoregion extends southwest from the Amazon River between its large Madeira River, Madeira and Tapajós tributaries, and crosses ...
.


Flora

The ecoregion is almost completely covered in evergreen tropical rainforest. The forests have a high level of plant diversity. Thus there are over 60 species of trees in the family
Sapotaceae 240px, '' Madhuca longifolia'' var. ''latifolia'' in Narsapur, Medak district, India The Sapotaceae are a family of flowering plants belonging to the order (biology)">order Ericales">family (biology)">family of flowering plants belonging to th ...
. Near Carauari there are 250 tree species per hectare. There are many different timber species but no dense stands of timber. The canopy is usually dense and about high, with emergent trees up to high. In small patches the canopy is more open and the understory less dense. Trees generally have small diameters of less than , and rarely have trunks larger than wide. A few giant trees have trunks up to wide such as '' Cariniana decandra'', '' Osteophloem platyspermum'', '' Piptadenia suaveolens'', genus ''
Brosimum ''Brosimum'' is a genus of plants in the family Moraceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas. The breadnut ('' B. alicastrum'') was used by the Maya civilization for its edible nut. The dense vividly colored scarlet wood of '' B. paraens ...
'', '' Eschweilera blanchetiana'' and '' Sclerobium paraense''. As with other parts of the
Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...
the most important families of trees are
Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...
,
Sapotaceae 240px, '' Madhuca longifolia'' var. ''latifolia'' in Narsapur, Medak district, India The Sapotaceae are a family of flowering plants belonging to the order (biology)">order Ericales">family (biology)">family of flowering plants belonging to th ...
,
Lecythidaceae The Lecythidaceae ( ) comprise a family of about 20 genera and 250–300 species of woody plants native to tropical South America, Africa (including Madagascar), Asia and Australia. Well known members of the family include the cannonball tree ...
,
Moraceae Moraceae is a family of flowering plants comprising about 48 genera and over 1100 species, and is commonly known as the mulberry or fig family. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however, their ...
,
Chrysobalanaceae Chrysobalanaceae is a family of flowering plants, consisting of trees and shrubs in 27 genera and about 700 species of pantropical distribution with a centre of diversity in the Amazon. Some of the species contain silica in their bodies for rig ...
,
Lauraceae Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant Family (biology), family that includes the bay laurel, true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genus (biology), genera worldwide. They are dicotyled ...
and
Myristicaceae The Myristicaceae are a family of flowering plants native to Africa, Asia, Pacific islands, and the Americas and has been recognized by most taxonomists. It is sometimes called the "nutmeg family", after its most famous member, '' Myristica fragr ...
. Four common palms are ''
Astrocaryum vulgare ''Astrocaryum vulgare'' is a very spiny palm native to the Guianas and the Amazon. It is a species which has greatly benefited from deforestation, as it cannot grow in undisturbed rainforest. It is common in the Pará state of Brazil, to the east ...
'', '' Oenocarpus bataua'', ''
Attalea maripa ''Attalea maripa'', commonly called maripa palm is a palm native to tropical South America and Trinidad and Tobago. It grows up tall and can have leaves or fronds long. This plant has a yellow edible fruit which is oblong ovoid and cream. An ...
'' and ''
Socratea exorrhiza ''Socratea exorrhiza'', the walking palm or cashapona, is a palm native to rainforests in tropical Central and South America. It can grow to 25 metres in height, with a stem diameter of up to 16 cm, but is more typically 15–20 m tall ...
''. Other common species are '' Eschweilera alba'', '' Eschweilera odora'', '' Pouteria guianensis'', '' Vantanea guianensis'', ''
Ragala sanguinolenta Ragala is a small town in Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is part of Walapane Pradeshiya Sabha, in the Nuwara Eliya District. Agriculture The town's agricultural exports consist of tea leaves to tea production companies such as Dilmah. Raga ...
'', '' Licania apetala'' and '' Iryanthera ulei''.


Fauna

Rivers such as the Purus and Tapauá form barriers to movement of some species of primates and insects, with distinct subspecies on either side of the river. Many species are endemic to the eocregion. There are more than 170 species of mammals. Almost 120 species of mammals have been recorded at one location on the upper Urucu River. Mammals that move between flooded and terra firme forests include
common squirrel monkey Common squirrel monkey is the traditional common name for several small squirrel monkey species native to the tropical areas of South America. The term common squirrel monkey had been used as the common name for ''Saimiri sciureus'' before gene ...
(''Saimiri sciureus''),
white-fronted capuchin White-fronted capuchin can refer to any of a number of species of gracile capuchin monkey which used to be considered as the single species ''Cebus albifrons''. White-fronted capuchins are found in seven different countries in South America: Bol ...
(''Cebus albifrons''), brown woolly monkey (''Lagothrix lagotricha'') and
collared peccary The collared peccary (''Dicotyles tajacu'') is a peccary, a species of artiodactyl (even-toed) mammal in the family Peccary, Tayassuidae found in North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America. It is the only member of the gen ...
(''Pecari tajacu''). Large mammals include
silky anteater The silky anteater, also known as the pygmy anteater, has traditionally been considered a single species of anteater, ''Cyclopes didactylus'', in the genus ''Cyclopes'', the only living genus in the family Cyclopedidae. Found in southern Mexico ...
(''Cyclopes didactylus''),
southern tamandua The southern tamandua (''Tamandua tetradactyla''), also called the collared anteater or lesser anteater, is a species of anteater from South America and the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. It is a solitary animal found in many habitats, from ...
(''Tamandua tetradactyla''),
giant anteater The giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') is an Insectivore, insectivorous mammal native to Central America, Central and South America. It is the largest of the four living species of anteaters, which are classified with sloths in the or ...
(''Myrmecophaga tridactyla''),
brown-throated sloth The brown-throated sloth (''Bradypus variegatus'') is a species of three-toed sloth found in the Neotropical realm of Central and South America. It is the most common of the four species of three-toed sloth, and is found in the forests of Sout ...
(''Bradypus variegatus''),
jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
(''Panthera onca''),
cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...
(''Puma concolor''),
red brocket The red brocket (''Mazama americana'') is a species of brocket deer from forests in South America, ranging from northern Argentina to Colombia and the Guianas. It also occurs on the Caribbean island of Trinidad (it also occurred on the island of ...
(''Mazama americana''),
gray brocket The gray brocket (''Mazama gouazoubira''), also known as the brown brocket, is a species of brocket deer from northern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Peru, eastern and southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It formerly included the Amazonian bro ...
(''Mazama gouazoubira'') and
South American tapir The South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''), also commonly called the Brazilian tapir (from the Tupi ), the Amazonian tapir, the maned tapir, the lowland tapir, (Brazilian Portuguese), and ''la sachavaca'' (literally "bushcow", in mixed ...
(''Tapirus terrestris''). Species local to the Southwestern Amazon Moist Forests include the
short-eared dog The short-eared dog (''Atelocynus microtis''), also known as the small-eared dog, is a unique and elusive canid species endemic to the Amazonian basin. This is the only species assigned to the genus ''Atelocynus''. Other names The short-eared ...
(''Atelocynus microtis''),
Linnaeus's two-toed sloth Linnaeus's two-toed sloth (''Choloepus didactylus''), also known as the southern two-toed sloth, unau, or Linne's two-toed sloth is a species of sloth from South America, found in Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Colombia, Ecuador, Per ...
(''Choloepus didactylus''),
pygmy marmoset Pygmy marmosets are two species of small New World monkeys in the genus ''Cebuella''. They are native to Amazon rainforest, rainforests of the western Amazon Basin in South America. These primates are notable for being the smallest monkeys in th ...
(''Cebuella pygmaea''),
brown-mantled tamarin The brown-mantled tamarin (''Leontocebus fuscicollis''), also known as Spix's saddle-back tamarin, is a species of saddle-back tamarin. This New World monkey is found in the Southern American countries of Bolivia, Brazil and Peru. This Omnivore, ...
(''Saguinus fuscicollis'') and
Goeldi's marmoset Goeldi's marmoset, or Goeldi's monkey (''Callimico goeldii''), is a small New World monkey found on the South American continent, mainly in the upper Amazon basin of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Perú. It is the only species classified in the m ...
(''Callimico goeldii''). Endangered mammals include
Peruvian spider monkey The Peruvian spider monkey (''Ateles chamek''), also known as the black-faced black spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey that lives in Peru, as well as in Brazil and in Bolivia. At long, they are relatively large among species of monkey, ...
(''Ateles chamek'') and
giant otter The giant otter or giant river otter (''Pteronura brasiliensis'') is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the weasel family, Mustelidae, a globally successful group of predators, reaching up to . Atypical of mustel ...
(''Pteronura brasiliensis''). There are over 550 species of birds, including many endemic species. Seasonal migrant birds include the
white-throated toucan The white-throated toucan (''Ramphastos tucanus'') is a near-passerine bird in the family Ramphastidae found in South America throughout the Amazon Basin including the adjacent Tocantins River, Tocantins and Araguaia River drainage. It pre ...
(''Ramphastos tucanus''), parrots (genus ''
Amazona Amazon parrots are parrots in the genus ''Amazona''. They are medium-sized, short-tailed parrots native to the Americas, with their range extending from South America to Mexico and the Caribbean. ''Amazona'' is one of the 92 genera of parrots t ...
'') and macaws (genus ''
Ara Ara may refer to: Biology * ''Ara'' (bird), a genus of parrots * Ara (fish) (''Niphon spinosus''), a species of fish * L-arabinose operon, also known as ara Places * Ara (mountain), a mountain in Armenia * Ara, Armenia, a village in Armenia ...
''). Non-migratory birds include tanagers (genera '' Tangara'' and ''
Tachyphonus ''Tachyphonus'' is a genus of birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. The genus was introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816 with the white-lined tanager as the type species. The name combines the Ancient Greek words ...
''), woodcreepers (genus ''
Xiphorhynchus ''Xiphorhynchus'' is a genus of birds in the woodcreeper subfamily (Dendrocolaptinae) that are found in Middle and South America. Taxonomy The genus ''Xiphorhynchus'' was introduced in 1827 by the English naturalist William Swainson. The name c ...
''), pavonine quetzal (''Pharomachrus pavoninus''),
wattled curassow The wattled curassow (''Crax globulosa'') is a threatened member of the family (biology), family Cracidae, the curassows, guan (bird), guans, and chachalacas. It is found in remote rainforests in the western Amazon basin in South America. Males h ...
(''Crax globulosa''), nocturnal curassow (''Nothocrax urumutum''),
razor-billed curassow The razor-billed curassow (''Mitu tuberosum'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, ...
(''Mitu tuberosum'') and tinamous (genera ''
Crypturellus ''Crypturellus'' is a genus of tinamous containing mostly forest species. However, there are the odd few that are grassland or steppe tinamous. The genus contains 21 species. Taxonomy The genus ''Crypturellus'' was introduced in 1914 by the Brit ...
'' and ''
Tinamus ''Tinamus'' is a genus of birds in the tinamou family Tinamidae. This genus comprises some of the larger members of this South American family. Taxonomy The genus ''Tinamus'' was introduced in 1783 by the French naturalist Johann Hermann. The ...
''). Endangered birds include
wattled curassow The wattled curassow (''Crax globulosa'') is a threatened member of the family (biology), family Cracidae, the curassows, guan (bird), guans, and chachalacas. It is found in remote rainforests in the western Amazon basin in South America. Males h ...
(''Crax globulosa'').


Status

The
World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the ...
classes the ecoregion as "Relatively Stable/Intact". No roads cross the ecoregion, which is relatively inaccessible, although both flora and fauna are affected by hunting and extractive logging.
Petrobras Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., better known by and Trade name, trading as the portmanteau Petrobras (), is a Brazilian state-owned enterprise, majority state-owned multinational corporation in the petroleum industry headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. ...
has undertaken oil and natural gas exploration in the region for many years, creating
deforested Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
patches. A large area of forest near
Tefé Tefé, known in early accounts as Teffé, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas, northern Brazil. History As early as 1620 the Portuguese Carmelites could already boast of converts amo ...
was cleared for an experimental agricultural project, but this was abandoned and the area is now covered in secondary forest. Urban centers and small farming settlements along the rivers are surrounded by land cleared for houses, agriculture and livestock pasturage. The expansion of small-scale livestock production poses a threat. A planned extension of the
Trans-Amazonian Highway The Trans-Amazonian Highway (official designation BR-230, official name Rodovia Transamazônica ) was introduced on September 27, 1972. It is 4,000 km long, making it the third longest highway in Brazil. It runs through the Amazon forest and ...
from
Lábrea Lábrea () is the southernmost municipality in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. Economy The population of the Lábrea municipality was 46,882 as of 2020. Its area is . This makes it the sixth largest municipality in Amazonas by area and the ...
on the Purus River to
Tabatinga Tabatinga, originally Forte de São Francisco Xavier de Tabatinga, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Tres Fronteras, Três Fronteiras area of Western Amazonas. It is in the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of Amazonas (Brazilia ...
on border between Peru, Brazil and Colombia would cause widespread
habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...
.


Notes


Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Juruá-Purus moist forests Ecoregions of Brazil Amazon biome Neotropical tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests