The Pantanal, Brazil
© Richard Kingsford
Description
Seasonal flooding and drying regimes characterise high productivity floodplain marshes in the seasonal tropics and subhumid temperate regions. Typically, different plants respond to the mosaic of variable flooding regimes, supporting complex networks of invertebrates, waterbirds, reptiles, and mammals. Prey concentrate as the wetlands dry, and many plants and animals use specialised adaptations such as seed banks or egg banks, to survive drying.