KNOWLEDGE BASE

This study examined how Eurasian beaver couples use the space in their shared territory. It found that their territories overlap but that each partner moves independently, often with large distances of around 500m between them. Beavers are closest at the start and end of their active periods (at the start and end of the night). Moving independently of each other may help avoid predation.

Scientists in the USA studied how landscape and habitat characteristics influence the presence of semi-aquatic mammals such as beavers and muskrats. They found that occupation by beavers was affected by stream size, stream density, and the proportion of land covered by forest. The muskrat also depended on forest cover, but also was influenced by how deep the stream channel was and the habitat's soil chemistry.

A fair amount of research has shown that, by building dams, beavers change the balance of invertebrate species in the immediate area. This study tested this hypothesis in an area of the USA where this hadn't been tested and found similar impacts. Overall, fewer (and different) species were found around beaver dams rather than in free-flowing reaches of streams.

This manual offers ecosystem restoration practitioners guidance on implementing low-tech tools like beaver dam analogues. These tools can kickstart restoration in riverscapes, saying that the lack of beaver dams is one of the 'most common impairments affecting riverside health.' The book emphasises mimicking natural processes with simple, cost-effective interventions and letting the ecosystem's natural engineers, like beavers, do the rest. The book suggests that this cheaper approach may work better and also enable restoration work to be done at the huge scale required.

Scientists in Poland examined the structure of beaver's nerves in a part of the digestive system called the pylorus. The pylorus connects the stomach to the beginning of the small intestine. It found that the arrangement of these nerve cells is similar to other mammals, despite the beaver's unique diet.