Ecology, management, and conservation implications of North American beaver<i>(Castor canadensis)</i>in dryland streams

Gibson, Polly P.; Olden, Julian D.

doi:10.1002/aqc.2432

Cited by 94 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Considering beavers alone, this technique could be useful in monitoring populations in eradication programs for the specie which are being planned for Europe (Lorvelec and Pascal 2005;Genovesi et al 2012;Parker et al 2012) and South America (Choi 2008;Parkes et al 2008;Menvielle et al 2010), to monitor the advance and activity of the same invasive species in Asia (Saveljev and Safonov 1999) and to monitor the reintroduced populations of both Castor canadensis and Castor fiber (Macdonald et al 1995;Halley 2011;Baldwin 2013;Gibson and Olden 2014). This could also help in studying the populations of pest species which attack woody species such as bark beetles (Hadley and Veblen 1993;Fettig et al 2006;Schwilk et al 2006) or other herbivores and/or pathogens producing tree mortality (Augspurger 1984;Schowalter et al 1986;Christensen et al 1995;Cannicci et al 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasion of North American beaver (Castor canadensis) in the province of Magallanes, Southern Chile: comparison between dating sites through interviews with the local community and dendrochronology

Graells

Corcoran

Aravena

2015

Rev. Chil. de Hist. Nat.

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Background: Twenty beavers Castor canadensis (Castoridae) were initially introduced in the Argentinean portion of Tierra del Fuego Island, from where they have occupied most of the Fuegian Archipelago and even reached the continent. This invasion is causing great damage to the subantarctic forest ecosystems, and it is not known how fast the species is spreading. While there is an estimation of this advance using interviews, it is not known how reliable these are and they cannot be made in remote areas. On the mainland, where beavers were present, their date of arrival was estimated using interviews and dendrochronology, and the dates obtained by both methods were compared for each site.Results: Differences were found among the groups of respondents, according to property size, in their ability to detect changes in the environment made by beavers. The dates of arrival estimated through dendrochronology are 23 years prior to those determined through surveys, and they generate a potential route of arrival from the Fuegian Archipelago and migration in the mainland. This route is more parsimonious than the route of dispersal generated through interviews. Conclusions: Since it was determined that there is no relationship between the dates estimated through surveys and dendrochronology, it is not possible to determine how much lag there is from the time when changes in the environment are produced by beavers and the time when people notice this change. Our results indicate that this lag may not be constant among different groups of people.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasion of North American beaver (Castor canadensis) in the province of Magallanes, Southern Chile: comparison between dating sites through interviews with the local community and dendrochronology

Graells

Corcoran

Aravena

2015

Rev. Chil. de Hist. Nat.

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“…Beaver dams have the capacity to reduce stream velocity conditions, minimising the flood severity experienced by fishes by providing refuge habitat during increased flow periods (Gibson & Olden 2014). Beaver dams have the capacity to reduce stream velocity conditions, minimising the flood severity experienced by fishes by providing refuge habitat during increased flow periods (Gibson & Olden 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prior to construction of the dam, large floods >1700 m 3 Ás À1 occurred approximately every 10 years in the Bill Williams River. Additionally, beaver (Castor canadensis) have colonised throughout the low-gradient reaches of the Bill Williams River; resulting in approximately 104 beaver pond habitats ) that undoubtedly further alter the river's hydrology, geomorphology, chemistry and ecology (Gibson & Olden 2014). 2003) with a > 90% reduc- Notes: Records from the lower Colorado River Aquatic GAP Programme (Whittier et al 2006), primary literature (Olden & Poff 2005), and state agency reports were used to estimate the date of non-native species introduction into the BWRB.…”

Section: S a N T A M A R I A R B Il L W Il Li A M S Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing long‐term fish responses and short‐term solutions to flow regulation in a dryland river basin

Pool

Olden

2014

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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Water resource development and non-native species have been cited as primary drivers associated with the decline of native fishes in dryland rivers. To explore this topic, long-term trends in the fish community composition of the Bill Williams River basin were studied over a 30-year period (Arizona, USA). We sampled 31 sites throughout the basin that were included in fish surveys by Arizona Game and Fish in 1994-97 and the Bureau of Land Management in 1979-80. We found that non-native species have proliferated throughout the entire basin, with greater densities in the lower elevations. Native species have persisted throughout most of the major river segments, but have experienced significant declines in frequency of occurrence and abundance in areas also containing high abundances of non-native species. Next, we assessed the short-term response of the fish assemblage to an experimental flood event from the system's only dam (i.e. Alamo Dam). In response to the flood, we observed a short-term reduction in the abundance of non-native species in sites close to the dam, but the fish assemblage returned to its preflood composition within 8 days of the event, with the exception of small-bodied fish, which sustained lower postflood densities. Our findings demonstrate the importance of natural flow regime on the balance of native and non-native species at the basin scale within dryland rivers and highlight minimal effects on non-native fishes in response to short duration flood releases below dams.

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“…Recent decades have witnessed growing interest in employing or mimicking the remarkable engineering abilities of beaver (Castor canadensis and C. fiber) in stream restoration efforts (Pollock et al 2007;DeVries et al 2012). However, restoration of beaver populations also raises new questions for ecosystem management, especially within arid and semi-arid environments (Gibson & Olden 2014). However, restoration of beaver populations also raises new questions for ecosystem management, especially within arid and semi-arid environments (Gibson & Olden 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Historically, beaver dams were abundant in parts of the basin (Gibson & Olden 2014), and presumably beaver ponds would have been occupied by native fishes. Historically, beaver dams were abundant in parts of the basin (Gibson & Olden 2014), and presumably beaver ponds would have been occupied by native fishes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beaver dams shift desert fish assemblages toward dominance by non‐native species (Verde River, Arizona, USA)

Gibson

Olden

O’Neill

2014

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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The reintroduction of beaver (Castor canadensis) into arid and semi-arid rivers is receiving increasing management and conservation attention in recent years, yet very little is known about native versus non-native fish occupancy in beaver pond habitats. Streams of the American Southwest support a highly endemic, highly endangered native fish fauna and abundant non-native fishes, and here we investigated the hypothesis that beaver ponds in this region may lead to fish assemblages dominated by non-native species that favour slower-water habitat. We sampled fish assemblages within beaver ponds and within unimpounded lotic stream reaches in the mainstem and in tributaries of the free-flowing upper Verde River, Arizona, USA. Non-native fishes consistently outnumbered native species, and this dominance was greater in pond than in lotic assemblages. Few native species were recorded within ponds. Multivariate analysis indicated that fish assemblages in beaver ponds were distinct from those in lotic reaches, in both mainstem and tributary locations. Individual species driving this distinction included abundant nonnative green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) and western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) in pond sites, and native desert sucker (Catostomus clarkii) in lotic sites. Overall, this study provides the first evidence that, relative to unimpounded lotic habitat, beaver ponds in arid and semi-arid rivers support abundant non-native fishes; these ponds could thus serve as important non-native source areas and negatively impact co-occurring native fish populations.

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Ecology, management, and conservation implications of North American beaver(Castor canadensis)in dryland streams

Cited by 94 publications

References 60 publications

Invasion of North American beaver (Castor canadensis) in the province of Magallanes, Southern Chile: comparison between dating sites through interviews with the local community and dendrochronology

Invasion of North American beaver (Castor canadensis) in the province of Magallanes, Southern Chile: comparison between dating sites through interviews with the local community and dendrochronology

Assessing long‐term fish responses and short‐term solutions to flow regulation in a dryland river basin

Beaver dams shift desert fish assemblages toward dominance by non‐native species (Verde River, Arizona, USA)

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