What type of soils are found in the amazon rainforest?
1 Answer
There are multiple types of soil found in the Amazon Rainforest.
Explanation:
Three fourths of the soil in the Amazon is a clay-like laterite soil that is reddish or yellowish. This soil is acidic and poor in nutrients.
There's also a type of soil called Terra preta that has a high concentration of charcoal at a low-temperature and is man-made.
Much of the soil is sandy but soil over certain volcanic rocks may be richer in nutrients and of a reddish appearance.
How do plants gain nutrients if the soil is so poor ? Nutrients from decaying plant and animal matter are recycled back into the ecosystem quickly and the majority of these nutrients do not return to the soil itself. Thus, the primary producers in the Amazon
There's a great article here on soils in the Amazon.
For a very in-depth read of soils in the Amazon, read the following paper, Soils of Amazonia with particular reference to RAINFOR sites.
