Selva South America

Selva of South America

Selva of South America are humid equatorial forests located in countries such as Brazil, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, Guyana, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia. In conditions of great humidity, constant high temperatures throughout the year and heat alternating with abundant tropical rains, there is a thriving vegetation and very diverse animal life. Scientists have discovered and described more than 40,000 species of plants, more than 1,000 species of birds, about 400 species of reptiles, amphibians and mammals.

General Information

Selva can be interpreted in both narrow and broad meanings of the word. For example, some sources believe that selva is the name of the humid equatorial forests in the Amazon basin or even just in Brazil, and sometimes selva is any humid tropical forest. The South American jelva is mostly located in the northern part of the continent. Its more familiar name can be thought of as the word “jungle.”

The South American jungle is located in the equatorial and subequatorial belts, on vast low-lying areas of land, under conditions of constant freshwater moisture (1800-2300 mm of rainfall per year), due to which the soil of the jungle is extremely poor in minerals leached by tropical rains. Air humidity is very high, ranging from 80-90%. Plant and animal life is characterized by a variety of species of plants, animals. South American jelva on lower places, sometimes flooded by the river, is called igapo, or varzea, and on higher, non-flooded places – terra firma. Species diversity is higher in the non-flooded areas, especially for endemics. The Indians use a swidden system of farming: a field is cultivated for several years, then abandoned, and in the process a new patch of forest has to be cleared. This is only feasible in sparsely populated areas. Reforestation up to a certain limit under such conditions occurs naturally quite quickly.

Plant life

Like all rainforests, the jelva has several tiers of plants. Trees grow in 3-5 tiers, but the undergrowth is poorly expressed. As a rule, tree trunks are straight, columnar, branching only at the top. Tree roots are often plank-shaped, stilt roots are characteristic of swampy areas. A single tree may have branches with fruits, flowers, and young leaves. Caulifloria, the formation of flowers and inflorescences directly on trunks and leafless portions of branches, is common. The soil is covered with fallen leaves, branches, trunks of fallen trees, lichens, fungi and moss. The soil itself is reddish in color; it is covered with low plants, ferns, and grass.

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The second tier is represented by young trees, there may be shrubs and reeds. The top of the closed crowns does not represent a flat surface, above the forest canopy of trees up to forty meters high giants rise, for example, the tree seiba can reach 80 meters. Due to the diversity of tree species (there are no less than 2500 tree species in the Amazon basin) and, consequently, the diversity of leaf colors, the surface of the jungle has a mottled green coloring. The effect is enhanced by flowering trees, creating white or colored patches.

There is a lot of extra-tier vegetation – lianas and epiphytes, many orchids. Especially rich in epiphytes are the non-flooded areas (terra firma). Epiphytes belong mainly to the Bromeliaceae and Aroid families, differ in shapes and brightness of color of flowers. Epiphytes form numerous aerial roots. There are a lot of cacti (especially species of the genus Ripsalis). Here grow melon tree, cacao, hevea, in the floodplains of the Amazon, Orinoco and other rivers – Victoria regia.

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In places flooded during floods, the lower tree tier formed by hydrophilic palms, tree ferns and other plants, rises above reed and sedge swamps up to 8 meters. In more lighted areas the lower tier quickly becomes covered with dense, difficult to pass through thickets of lianas, epiphytes, shrubs and small trees, turning the community into an impassable jungle. In places there are so-called “devil’s gardens” – areas in the Amazon forests where only one species of tree (Duroia hirsuta) grows, which is cultivated by ants of the species Myrmelachista schumanni (“lemon ants”).

Animal life

Most of the numerous and varied animals of the jungle live mainly in trees, and there are even many arboreal amphibians. Terrestrial animals are few in number, including the giant armadillo, large anteater, small pig-like peccaries, rhinoceros, bush dog, and guinea pigs. The capybara (Earth’s largest rodent) and tapir live near water.

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Many mammals for life in the trees have a stubby tail: pygmy anteater and four-toed anteater, opossum, chain-tailed porcupine, kinkajou, three-toed sloths and chain-tailed monkeys (howler monkeys, capuchins, uakari, spider monkey, etc.); small toy monkeys are very numerous. The predatory mammals of the jungle are represented by the felines – jaguar, puma, ocelot, which are also well adapted to life in the trees.

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Among the richest fauna of birds – toucans (endemic), goacin, gocco, urubu vulture, ara parrot, amazon parrot and other parrots, hummingbirds (among them the smallest birds on Earth) are represented here more than 300 species. In addition to birds, there are a lot of man-eating birds.

Many reptiles. Representatives of snakes are boa constrictors, including the anaconda, the largest snake. Among snakes there are many venomous ones: bushmeister, aspids. Examples of lizards are iguanas, skinks, and the poisonous lizard.

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Extremely numerous insects – the butterfly fauna is among the richest; among the 100,000 species of beetles are the luminous cuckoo and the mustache titan, reaching a length of 15 cm. Leafcutter ants are inseparably connected with trees. The tarantulas are the largest spiders.

Water bodies are inhabited by manatees, Amazonian dolphin, anaconda (endemic), and caimans. Gavial crocodiles inhabit rivers. South American freshwater fish fauna (about 2000 species) represents one third of the world’s fish fauna. Here live double-breathing fish lepidosiren, very large giant arapaima, predatory piranha, electric eel. Some aquarium fish such as guppies, scalaria originate from here.

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There are a number of endemic animal taxa, the largest of the mammal groups being the order Incomplete-toothed (families Three-toed Sloths, Two-toed Sloths, Anteaters), the order Armadillos, and the parvotrion Broad-nosed Monkeys.

Ecology

Sadly, every year, due to large-scale deforestation, the area of the jungle is inexorably shrinking. If this state of affairs is not corrected, in as little as 50 years, many of the areas on the map of South America where the jungle is located will become a lifeless desert. Today, more and more scientists and politicians realize the importance of preserving the “lungs of the planet”. In addition, the landscapes of South America are a geographical mosaic that, when assembled into a single whole, strikes with its variegated colors. It deserves to be preserved for posterity.