Aquatic invertebrates of the Coastal Plain

Abstract

The Coastal Plain of Suriname, located at 0-11 m above sea level, covers about 18,000 km2 and is divided into the Old Coastal Plain with Pleistocene soils of clays and fine sands, and the Young Coastal Plain with Holocene soils of mainly clays with some beach ridges. The fine sands and clays of the Coastal Plain are probably mainly of Amazonian (Andean) origin, the material being transported by the Guiana stream to the Guiana coast (Reyne 1961; Krook 1979). Very poor drainage conditions in large areas lead to the formation of peat on top of clay flats in back swamps. The Coastal Plain is covered with herbaceous swamps, swamp forests and marsh forests (Lindeman 1953).