A seasonally flooded forest along the Amazon River in South America.
From Portuguese 'gapo' or Brazilian Portuguese, likely derived from indigenous Amazonian languages. The term emerged in colonial Portuguese to describe the specific ecosystem found in the Amazon basin.
Gapos are among Earth's most extreme ecosystems—they flood dramatically with seasonal rains, trapping fish that feed on falling fruits, creating bizarre upside-down food chains where aquatic animals depend on forest plants.
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