The Río Mamoré Basin forms part of the vast Llanos de Moxos floodplain in northern Bolivia, one of the world’s largest seasonally inundated tropical wetlands. Annual flooding connects rivers, oxbow lakes, shallow lagoons, and flooded forests into a dynamic aquatic landscape that supports exceptional biodiversity. Seasonal changes in water level strongly influence habitat structure, nutrient cycling, and fish movements throughout the basin.
The shallow marginal lagoons bordering the Río Mamoré provide ideal habitat for numerous cichlids, characins, catfishes, and aquatic invertebrates. Fine sandy bottoms, accumulated leaf litter, submerged woody debris, and sparse aquatic vegetation create sheltered environments where species such as Mikrogeophagus altispinosus forage for small benthic invertebrates and establish breeding territories. During the annual flood pulse, these lagoons become connected to the main river, allowing fish dispersal, genetic exchange, and the replenishment of aquatic communities.
- Geographical region
- South America
- Drainage Basin
- River catchment
- Rio Amazonas
- Water body type
- Lagoon
- Water body name
- Floodplain lagoon west of Trinidad
- Water body part
- Flood plain
- Water body course
- Middle course
- Water body: tributary of
- Tributary name
Videos above and below water
