KNOWLEDGE BASE

This research tested the use of a new trap to study lynx populations in a Polish forest. The traps were baited with castoreum (a chemical secreted by beavers) and catnip oil. The traps collected lynx hair so that researchers could test the DNA contained within the hair. The article reports on the success of the new trap, saying that it can be used to monitor lynx in areas where they're not very common.

In Alberta, Canada, logging and petroleum extraction have increased while North American beaver populations are also rebounding. This study analysed field surveys and aerial photos of rivers, showing that beavers widen and diversify habitats in and next to rivers. Beavers felled trees within 40m of the pond edge. However, current forestry rules only require a buffer of unlogged trees of 30-60m from the edge of the water. This conflict suggests that wider buffer areas are needed to protect riparian habitats and accommodate beavers. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

Ecologists often assumed that beavers affect the water systems of riverbanks but the authors of this paper identified that actual evidence was lacking. Here, they studied the impact of beaver dams in the USA on surface water levels and flow patterns. The results showed that beaver dams made water flow around them: either over or through the ground. This increased the water table downstream, both in the wet and dry parts of the year, suggesting that beavers can create and sustain wetland habitats.

This study explores scent-marking behaviour in Eurasian beavers. Researchers tracked six beaver pairs and found males marked more frequently and spent more time at borders, especialy during summer but not in spring. This suggests males play a bigger role in territorial defense, especially when females are lactating. The researchers also dig into more complex aspects of this territorial behaviour.

The study reports on the presence of non-native, or 'exotic', vertebrates in an area of Chile which is supposedly a 'pristine' wilderness. Despite its remoteness, the area was home numerous exotic species, particularly land-based mammals and freshwater fish which outnumbered native species. Non-native species were more common near human settlements but even remote islands had introduced species like North American beavers and American minks, impacting native ecosystems significantly.