KNOWLEDGE BASE

After beavers abandon their dams, the water slowly drains to form beaver meadows. However, conifers, even if growing next door, often struggle to colonise these areas. This fascinating study demonstrated how this can be explained by the lack of a specific fungus in beaver meadow soils. They also showed how the red-backed vole can help disperse the fungal spores into beaver meadows, aiding conifer growth. However, the voles' limited use of the beaver meadows limited the rate of conifer expansion into the meadows. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

In New York, researchers examined suburban residents' views on managing wildlife like deer, beavers, and geese. It found that residents were more accepting of invasive and lethal methods when the main concern was about wildlife damage (relating to nuisance or economic impact), rather than when the main concern was health and safety. This was a surprising result, and therefore important for wildlife professionals to consider in their planning and communications around potential human-beaver conflicts. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

This book recounts the history of British mammals from the end of the ice age, 15,000 years ago, to the present day. Drawing on scientific and archaeological evidence, the book describes how Britain has lost many large mammals (including the beaver) and has slowly replaced them with domestic animals - this includes an analysis of how beavers can still be seen in some British place names. The text also discusses whether intervention is needed to restore ecological balance. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

There are a huge number of rodents in the world, who demonstrate very different motor skills such as: hopping, flying, swimming, and burrowing. This study analysed videos of different rodents manipulating different foods to understand the techniques at play. The text described the movements which were common across rodents, and some which were species-specific. The paper also includes screenshots of video recordings of North American beavers, which were the only species who demonstrated an ability to reach for food and pick it up using only one paw.

Scottish Natural Heritage commissioned the research in this article as part of their early work considering the reintroduction of beavers to Britain. The article summarised how beaver activity affects stream and landscapes under different habitat conditions. This includes changes to: the shape and complexity of stream channels, nutrient cycling and storage, and the habitats contained within a landscape. Whilst the article focussed on Castor fiber, many North American beaver studies were referenced given the much larger literature on Castor Canadensis at the time.