Tapajós-Xingu moist forests

Tapajós-Xingu moist forests
Trunk felled by deforesters in Jamanxim National Forest Novo Progresso, Pará.
Ecology
Realm	Neotropical
Biome	Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests – Amazon
Geography
Country	Brazil
Coordinates	5°54′36″S 54°26′13″W / 5.910°S 54.437°W / -5.910; -54.437Coordinates: 5°54′36″S 54°26′13″W / 5.910°S 54.437°W / -5.910; -54.437

The Tapajós-Xingu moist forests (NT0168) is an ecoregion in the eastern Amazon basin. It is part of the Amazon biome. The ecoregion extends southwest from the Amazon River between its large Tapajós and Xingu tributaries.

The Tapajós-Xingu moist forests lie between the Tapajós river to the west and the Xingu rivers to the east, tributaries of the Amazon River to the north. They have an area of 336,698.45 square kilometres (130,000.00 sq mi). The rivers act as barriers to the movement of plants, animals and insects to and from adjacent regions. In the south the rugged Serra do Cachimbo divides the ecoregion from other moist forest areas. There are urban centers at Santarém at the mouth of the Tapajós, Aveiro on the lower Tapajós and Altamira on the Iriri River. The ecoregion is crossed by the Trans-Amazonian Highway (BR-230) and the BR-163 highway from Santarém to Cuiabá.

To the northwest the ecoregion adjoins the Madeira-Tapajós moist forests on the other side of the Tapajós River. To the north it adjoins the Gurupa várzea along the Amazon River. The Uatuma-Trombetas moist forests are on the opposite bank of the Amazon. To the east are the . To the south and southwest the ecoregion blends into the Mato Grosso seasonal forests ecoregion.

Elevations range from 5 metres (16 ft) above sea level along the Amazon to 198 metres (650 ft) in the south. The ecoregion mostly lies on the undulating terrain of the ancient Brazilian Shield. Soils are often rich in nutrients, but poor soils are found in the higher areas. The main rivers are blackwater, with little or no suspended sediment. The largest is the Iriri , a tributary of the Xingu. Others are the Jamanxim, Curuá, Crepori, Curuá Una, and Jaraucu.