Beaver dams, streamflow complexity, and the distribution of a rare minnow, <i>Lepidomeda copei</i>

Dauwalter, Daniel C.; Walrath, John D.

doi:10.1111/eff.12374

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 49 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Previous research in our study system (the Bridge Creek watershed) demonstrated that beaver-based restoration increased habitat complexity, density, and survival of juvenile steelhead (Bouwes et al 2016). More broadly, beaver activity and beaver dam analogues are being promoted as a potential restoration tool to remediate channel incision (Pollock et al 2014) and increase habitat complexity for the benefit of fish populations (Bouwes et al 2016;Dauwalter and Walrath 2017). Our research provides important new insights into the mechanisms that may lead to enhance population productivity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Beaver activity increases habitat complexity and spatial partitioning by steelhead trout

Wathen

Allgeier

Bouwes

et al. 2019

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Freshwater habitat restoration is a major conservation objective, motivating efforts to restore habitat complexity and quality for fishes. Restoration based on the engineering activities of beavers (Castor canadensis) increases fish habitat complexity, but how this affects fish habitat use and movement behaviours is not well known. We used a network of passive integrated transponder antennas to quantify small-scale movement and microhabitat use of 175 individual juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in a stream channel with a complex bathymetric profile resulting from a beaver impoundment and in a simplified channel devoid of beaver activity. Our results show that juvenile steelhead exploit microhabitat heterogeneity by employing a range of behaviours that maximizes available habitat via spatial and temporal partitioning among individuals. These results suggest spatial resource partitioning as a potential mechanism for the previously established positive correlations among steelhead density, survival, and production with beaver-based restoration within the study watershed. More broadly, our findings provide insight as to how populations can exploit habitat complexity through spatial partitioning that can be informative for planning restoration and management actions.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Beaver activity increases habitat complexity and spatial partitioning by steelhead trout

Wathen

Allgeier

Bouwes

et al. 2019

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In arid and semi-arid landscapes, beaver dams increase water storage in streams and in adjacent floodplains, maintain water within the river course, and promote riparian vegetation [41]. Active and abandoned dams are associated with elevated structural and thermal heterogeneity of instream habits [42–46] and increased woody vegetation in riparian habitats [47]. Gibson and Olden [41] provide a thorough review of the response of hydrology, geomorphology, water quality, riparian vegetation, and wildlife to the habitat manipulations of beaver.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Livestock management, beaver, and climate influences on riparian vegetation in a semi-arid landscape

et al. 2018

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Riparian and aquatic habitats support biodiversity and key environmental processes in semi-arid and arid landscapes, but stressors such as conventional livestock grazing, wildfire, and drought can degrade their condition. To enhance habitat for fish and wildlife and increase resiliency in these critical areas, land managers in the interior western United States increasingly use alternative grazing strategies, beaver management, or beaver dam surrogates as low-effort, low-expense restoration approaches. In this study we used historical archives of satellite and aerial imagery spanning three decades to characterize riparian vegetation productivity and document beaver dam occurrences, then evaluated vegetation productivity relative to land management associated with livestock grazing and beaver dam densities while accounting for climate and wildfire. After controlling for stream characteristics such as stream size, elevation, and stream slope, we demonstrate a positive response of riparian area vegetation to conservation-oriented grazing approaches and livestock exclosures, extensive beaver dam development, increased precipitation, and lack of wildfire. We show that livestock management which emphasizes riparian recovery objectives can be an important precursor to beaver activity and describe 11–39% increases in floodplain vegetation productivity where conservation-oriented grazing approaches or livestock exclosures and high beaver activity occur together on low-gradient sites. Land management decisions can therefore potentially confer resiliency to riparian areas under changing and variable climate conditions–the increased vegetation productivity resulting from conservation-oriented grazing or exclosures and high amounts of beaver activity at our sites is the equivalent to moving conventionally-grazed, low-gradient sites without beaver up at least 250 m in elevation or increasing water year precipitation by at least 250 mm.

show abstract

“…Numerous species utilize the complex and dynamic pool, pond and wetland habitat created by such obstructions and some of those species are in steep population decline. In addition to coho salmon, other rare or endangered species that benefit from beaver ponds include the willow fly catcher and yellow-legged frog [59–63]. We suggest the need for a more nuanced approach to fluvial ecosystem management, an approach that recognizes that a dynamic tension exists between the need for habitat connectivity and habitat quality, between the need for fast-water habitat and slow-water habitat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A field experiment to assess passage of juvenile salmonids across beaver dams during low flow conditions in a tributary to the Klamath River, California, USA

Pollock

Witmore

Yokel

2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

15 Across Eurasia and North America, beaver (Castor spp), their dams and their human-built 16 analogues are becoming increasingly common restoration tools to facilitate recovery of streams 17 and wetlands, providing a natural and cost-effective means of restoring dynamic fluvial 18 ecosystems. Although the use of beaver ponds by numerous fish and wildlife species is well 19 documented, debate continues as to the benefits of beaver dams, primarily because dams are 20 perceived as barriers to the movement of fishes, particularly migratory species such as 21 salmonids. In this study, through a series of field experiments, we tested the ability of juvenile 22 salmonids to cross constructed beaver dams (aka beaver dam analogues). Two species, coho 23 salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and steelhead trout (O. mykiss), were tracked using passive 24 integrated transponder tags (PIT tags) as they crossed constructed beaver dams. We found that 25 when we tagged and moved late-summer parr from immediately upstream of the dams to 26 immediately downstream of them, most of them were detected upstream within 36 hours of 27 displacement. By the end of a 21-day field experiment, 91% of the displaced juvenile coho and 28 54% of the juvenile steelhead trout were detected on antennas upstream of the dams while <1% 29 of the coho and 15% of the steelhead trout were detected on antennas in the release pool below 30 the dams. A similar but shorter 4-day pilot experiment with only steelhead trout produced similar 31 results. In contrast, in a non-displacement experiment, juveniles of both species that were 32 captured, tagged and released in a pool 50 m below the dams showed little inclination to move 33 upstream. Finally by measuring hydraulic conditions at the major flowpaths over and around the 3 34 dams, we provide insight into conditions under which juvenile salmonids are able to cross these 35 constructed beaver dams, which should help guide future restoration efforts. 36 38 across riverine landscapes and have altered many natural processes by reducing ecosystem 39 connectivity. In the past five millennia, millions of dams have been constructed by humans, with 40 over two million built in the USA alone [1, 2]. Currently, efforts are underway to remove many 41 of these dams, with the primary objective of restoring stream connectivity, and more specifically, 42 to improve fish passage [3, 4] . 43While the number of dams built by humans is impressive, there are actually fewer dams in 44 North America now than prior to European colonization, albeit of a different size and materials.45 Historic estimates of North American beaver (Castor canadensis) populations range from 60-400 46 million, suggesting that across their 1.5 x10 7 km 2 range, there was anywhere from 10-60 million 47 beaver dams, mostly made of sticks and mud [5][6][7]. In addition, large wood formed millions of 48 jams, dams and other obstructions that dammed and diverted sediment and water across streams, 49 rivers and even entire valleys [8][9][10]. Historic accounts suppo...

show abstract

Beaver dams, streamflow complexity, and the distribution of a rare minnow, Lepidomeda copei

Cited by 10 publications

References 49 publications

Beaver activity increases habitat complexity and spatial partitioning by steelhead trout

Beaver activity increases habitat complexity and spatial partitioning by steelhead trout

Livestock management, beaver, and climate influences on riparian vegetation in a semi-arid landscape

A field experiment to assess passage of juvenile salmonids across beaver dams during low flow conditions in a tributary to the Klamath River, California, USA

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About