KNOWLEDGE BASE

In Finland, local people contribute to research by taking part in long-term surveys of beaver populations. This text reports on a citizen-science programme, which successfully monitored the dynamics of both Eurasian and North American beaver populations over almost 20 years. In this period, the Eurasian beaver populations increased while invasive North American beavers declined.

Scientists compared the genetic profile of beaver populations in the Czech Republic and Latvia, taking into account context such as current hunting regulations and historic population bottlenecks. The authors identified sub-populations of Eurasian beavers from different places in the Czech Republic and described the impact of hunting on beavers' genetic diversity in Latvia.

Adiaspiromycosis is a rare fungal infection. This study was the first to report evidence of adiaspiromycosis in the lungs of Eurasian beavers in Poland, from animals in the north-east of the country. No similar cases had been reported in humans in Poland.

In this book chapter, the author describes how beavers create habitats for a variety of different species. In North America, birds such as herons, swans, and osprey benefit from the open water and dead wood. Wolves use abandoned lodges for dens. Moose and deer come to beaver ponds to cool off and get relief from biting insects. The text sets out connections to many other species including some amphibians and reptiles. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

This text discussed challenges in analysing archaeological sites in wetlands. It does this by using the example of an archaeological site in Northern Germany, where extensive beaver burrows were discovered. A gnawed piece of wood was also found, though it is likely that this wood was chewed by a water vole rather than a beaver.