Science database
KNOWLEDGE BASE
We have gathered decades of scientific research from Great Britain, continental Europe and North America to share with people interested in diving deeper into the world of beavers.
This list of resources is being constantly amended and updated.
Showing 774 articles
Influence of watercourse depth and width on dam‐building behaviour by Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber)
Published by: Journal of Zoology
1st January 2006
This study investigated how stream depth and width affect beavers' dam-building behaviour. In Sweden, researchers measured 39 beaver lodges without dams and 74 dam sites. Lodge sites tended to be deeper and wider than dam sites. A number of possible explanations are given but more research is needed to understand why beavers choose to build or not build a dam in a given spot.
Bevers in de Biesbosch: griendwerkers van de toekomst?
Published by: Landschap
1st January 2006
This paper reports on the impact of a programme to re-introduce beavers to the Netherlands which started in 1988. Initially challenging, the beaver population now appears to be stable. However, beavers appear to be primarily eating rarer non-willow tree species, slowing down the diversification of the floodplain forest rather than accelerating it. Please note, this paper is mostly written in Dutch.
Transverse and longitudinal variation in woody riparian vegetation along a montane river
Published by: Western North American Naturalist
1st January 2006
This study examines how different plants grow along a river in Colorado, USA, focusing on how often they get flooded. They found that certain plants, like sandbar willows, prefer areas that flood more often, while others, like river birches, like less frequent flooding. Beavers play a role in shaping these areas, disrupting the riverbank habitats to help maintain plant life.
Abundance and distribution of American beaver, Castor canadensis (Kuhl 1820), in Tierra del Fuego and Navarino Islands, Chile
Published by: European Journal of Wildlife Research
1st January 2006
In 1946, beavers were introduced to Tierra del Fuego in Argentina. Their population has rapidly expanded, negatively affecting local forests - particularly species of Southern beech. Between 1999 and 2001, these scientists studied beaver density in Chile, to where they had spread. The beaver population in Chile alone is now estimated at 61,300 individuals, increasing and expanding at a rate of 2.6–6.3 km/year.
Genetic Variation and Population Structure of the Eurasian Beaver Castor fiber in Eastern Europe and Asia
Published by: Journal of Mammalogy
14th December 2005
The study looked at genetic variation in Eurasian beavers in eastern Europe and Asia, focusing on small, isolated populations. The results show limited genetic variation despite big geographical distances. The subspecies with the most different genes is likely that way because it has been isolated for the longest time. Overall, the data suggests that the present beaver populations in eastern Europe and Asia have a single shared ancestor from around the end of the last ice age.