KNOWLEDGE BASE

This study reports on the changes in mosquito populations observed over 35 years at a wetland site in New York. These changes are linked to beaver activity changing mosquito habitat conditions and differences in rainfall. The study method includes the researcher sitting down with their forearm exposed waiting for mosquitoes to land on it!

This article reports on a study of wolf diets in Latvia. From 1997 to 2001, these wolves primarily deer and boar, with some beavers. Their diet varied by season and region, with more wild boar in the east. They ate more diverse foods in summer. Domestic animals were rarely eaten, mainly as carrion in winter. Empty stomachs were common.

In this article, researchers in Canada show how the dynamics of organic carbon in a stream were heavily shaped by beavers. In particular, a dam failure in 1995 was shown to create debris dams downstream which acted as both sources and sinks of dissolve organic carbon. Disturbances such as this failure and heavy rainfall events accounted for the vast majority of carbon exported from the section of stream studied. Carbon concentrations were highest towards the top of the section and decreased downstream. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

This study looked at how wolves, beavers, plants, and other species are connected and affect each other in Yellowstone National Park, USA. The findings showed that the risk of predation by species like wolves profoundly affects ecosystem structure. Wolf reintroduction helped improve access to willow trees for beavers to eat. Understanding these processes can help improve ecosystem restoration efforts.

In this study, researchers established that the disappearance of beaver ponds has drastically reduced the habitat for coho salmon in a river basin in the USA. They estimated that loss of beaver ponds was the primary cause of summer habitat reducing by 61% and winter habitat by 86%. The study suggests that restoring beaver populations should be part of river restoration efforts.