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 525 articles
Rapid establishment of fish in isolated peatland beaver ponds
Published by: Wetlands
1st June 2004
In this paper, researchers explored the role beavers play on fish populations in peatlands. They studied 16 beaver ponds of different ages and three untouched peatlands. No fish were found in the untouched peatlands but different species of fish were found in the ponds. This shows how beavers enhance biodiversity in boreal regions and improves our understanding of their role as ecosystem engineers. Please note, this resource is not open-access.
Endoparasites of the beaver Castor fiber (L.) in northeast Poland
Published by: Helminthologia
1st June 2004
Researchers examined beavers and their faecal matter in Poland between 1998-2000. They were looking for parasites, and the text reports the different species of parasitic worm that were found, how common each species was, and how dangerous it was for the beavers.
Wetland nitrogen dynamics in an Adirondack forested watershed
Published by: Hydrological Processes
12th May 2004
This article reports on several months' worth of monitoring nitrogen levels in a stream, a riparian peatland, and beaver meadow in the USA. A complex set of dynamics are reported. Peatland groundwater had much more variable nitrogen concentration levels but this did not affect the stream's nitrogen levels much because the groundwater contributed a lot less to the stream than the surface water. Please note, this resources is not open-access.
Beaver Damming and Palsa Dynamics in a Subarctic Mountainous Environment, Wolf Creek, Yukon Territory, Canada
Published by: Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research
1st May 2004
This paper looks at how beavers interact with palsas: raised mounds of ice, peat, and soil found in subarctic and Arctic areas. It is shown that beavers, through their dams and flooding impacts, influence the creation and degradation of these features. The fate of palsas are shown to not be related to air temperatures, which means that they can't be used as a proxy for monitoring the local climate, as previous studies had suggested.
Environmental seasonality and incremental growth rates of beaver (Castor canadensis) incisors: implications for palaeobiology
Published by: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
30th April 2004
In this paper, growth rings on beavers' incisors were studied. These rings reflect how fast the teeth grow. 40 beavers' teeth were studied and it was found that upper incisors grew more slowly during late summer and autumn. Lower incisors had a weaker seasonal trend. Daily growth patterns varied to some extent with daily temperature and precipitation, but upper incisors' growth could potentially help estimate the season of death in fossil beavers. Please note, this resource is not open-access.
