Every year, during one the planet’s greatest seasonal flooding events, Central Amazonian rivers inundate farmland and expand aquatic habitats, making fish harder to catch. Understudied is whether this hydrological regime impacts human dietary intakes/sufficiency, and, if so, whether it varies between communities in seasonally flooded (várzea) and non-flooded (terra firme) zones. To address this gap, we collected dietary data on 8,100 meals over the course of the hydrological cycle in six várzea and three terra firme communities, and calculated energy, carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake. Diets were dominated by fish (44%), the main source of protein and fat, and manioc flour (26%), the main source of energy and carbohydrate. Fish consumption fell as water levels rose, resulting in reduced energy and macronutrient intake in várzea communities. Terra firme communities showed greater seasonal resilience, maintaining protein and fat levels largely by increasing the consumption of wildmeat and fatty palm fruits, respectively.
Every year, during one the planet's greatest seasonal ooding events, Central Amazonian rivers inundate farmland and expand aquatic habitats, making sh harder to catch. Understudied is whether this hydrological regime impacts human dietary intakes/su ciency, and, if so, whether it varies between communities in seasonally ooded (várzea) and non-ooded (terra rme) zones. To address this gap, we collected dietary data on 8,100 meals over the course of the hydrological cycle in six várzea and three terra rme communities, and calculated energy, carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake. Diets were dominated by sh (44%), the main source of protein and fat, and manioc our (26%), the main source of energy and carbohydrate. Fish consumption fell as water levels rose, resulting in reduced energy and macronutrient intake in várzea communities. Terra rme communities showed greater seasonal resilience, maintaining protein and fat levels largely by increasing the consumption of wildmeat and fatty palm fruits, respectively.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.