KNOWLEDGE BASE

The study compared two gases and their suitability for anesthesia during surgery on North American beavers. Both gases induced anesthesia smoothly and quickly without significant differences in heart rate, breathing, or oxygen levels. Recovery times varied widely but were similar for both gases, but sevoflurane was much more expensive than isoflurane. Overall, either gas was deemed suitable for beaver surgery.

In this study, scientists measured the chemical processing of iron-rich sediments from a beaver pond. In particular, they were interested in a chemical called acetate. The results showed that different bacteria may occupy different layers of the beaver pond floor, arranging themselves in a chemical processing chain. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

This study monitored changes in beaver population and habitat for 18 years across an area of 2,400 hectares in Eastern Lithuania. Over this period, population density has increased six-fold and the number of abandoned beaver sites increased dramatically. Beavers adapted to the hilly environment by not staying very long in any one site and re-occupying abandoned sites, often within a few years of abandonment.

Focussed on the USA, this article sets out how suburban expansion affects landscapes, the wildlife within them, and human perceptions of that wildlife. Some species, like beavers, thrive to the point of being perceived as pests due to property damage and safety risks. The study sets out the importance of wildlife management research to consider suburban areas, noting an educational opportunity and the complexity of understanding these ecosystems as being for humans and wildlife.

This paper seeks to set out the cumulative effects of the decline in beaver populations across the Northern Hemisphere on the functioning of streams. They present evidence that fewer beavers has meant more soil erosion (affecting valley shape) and less fish habitat (affecting fish populations).