Recolonizing lost habitat—how European beavers (Castor fiber) return to south-western Germany

Mai, Sabrina; Weinhardt, Markus; Allgöwer, Rainer; Merker, Stefan

doi:10.1007/s13364-018-0360-6

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Following rehabilitation, the continued expansion of beavers (Castor fiber) throughout Europe (Halley et al, 2012;Mai et al, 2018), was observed in the catchment in 2007 -2008. The beavers progressed from the catchment outlet to the rehabilitation area in approximately a one-year period ( Figure 1a).…”

Section: Catchment Discharge Regulation and Wetland Rehabilitationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Riparian wetland rehabilitation and beaver re-colonization impacts on hydrological processes and water quality in a lowland agricultural catchment

Smith

Tetzlaff

Gelbrecht

et al. 2020

Science of The Total Environment

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Quantifying the catchment water balance and the characterization of its water quality changes are effective tools for establishing the response of catchments to shifting land management practices. Here we assess long-term hydrological partitioning and stream water chemistry over a 30-year period in a rural mixed land use catchment in northern Germany undergoing riparian wetlands and 2 widespread re-colonisation by beavers (Castor fiber) along the river network. We used long-term spatially distributed stream discharge, groundwater levels and surface water quality data with a simple monthly water balance model, changes in the variability in discharge measurements, and statistical analysis of spatio-temporal changes in stream water quality to assess long-term changes. Water balance estimates indicated high proportions of evapotranspiration loss (~90% of total precipitation) and relatively low groundwater recharge (<5% of total precipitation) prior to riparian rehabilitation in 2000. Increasing groundwater levels from 2000-2017 and the relatively linear nature of the catchment storagedischarge relationship, indicate a gradual increase in groundwater recharge (buts still <10% of total precipitation). Wetland rehabilitation, greatly enhanced by increasing beaver populations, resulted in longer water transit times in the stream network, less linear storage-discharge relationship and a loss of daily stream variability, increased DOC concentrations, isotopic evaporative enrichment downstream, and moderated stream temperatures. There was limited long-term water quality improvements from wetland rehabilitation on either nitrate or total phosphorus concentrations, with unchanged seasonal summer and winter peak concentrations for phosphorus and nitrate, respectively. This likely reflects the long-term legacy of fertilizer use on nutrient reservoirs in the catchment's soils, aquifers, and stream network. These long-term changes in hydrology and stream chemistry resulting from riparian rehabilitation and changes in agricultural management practices provide invaluable insights into catchment functioning and an evidence base for future planning in relation to long-term climatic changes.

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Section: Catchment Discharge Regulation and Wetland Rehabilitationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Riparian wetland rehabilitation and beaver re-colonization impacts on hydrological processes and water quality in a lowland agricultural catchment

Smith

Tetzlaff

Gelbrecht

et al. 2020

Science of The Total Environment

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“…Both species are ecosystem engineers that exert strong community and ecosystem‐level effects at multiple spatial scales, primarily through dam‐building (Jones et al 1994; Rosell et al., 2005). Despite having been driven to near extinction throughout their native ranges by overharvesting and habitat destruction, beaver populations have been rebounding for several decades, mostly due to trapping restrictions and reintroductions (Baker & Hill, 2003; Danilov & Fyodorov, 2016; Halley & Rosell, 2002; Larson & Gunson, 1983; Mai et al., 2018; Wrobel et al., 2016). Numerous beaver‐related restoration and conservation projects, such as beaver reintroductions and translocations, installation of beaver dam analogues, and habitat improvements that benefit beavers have already been implemented in various landscapes and more are planned (Auster et al., 2019; Castro et al., 2015; Gaywood, 2018; Goldfarb, 2018; Puttock et al., 2018; Smith et al., 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beaver dams are associated with enhanced amphibian diversity via lengthened hydroperiods and increased representation of slow‐developing species

et al. 2020

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Land managers are increasingly using beavers to restore hydrological function, provide wildlife habitat, and mitigate the effects of climate extremes on water balances and ecosystems. Although North American beavers (Castor canadensis) and Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) both hold great potential for landscape‐scale benefits, more information about the interactions between beavers and wildlife is necessary to maximise the ecological benefits and minimise the social and ecological costs of beaver‐centred management. Beaver dams create large, deep pools with long hydroperiods, which could benefit aquatic and semi‐aquatic species, especially pond‐breeding amphibians, which breed in still and slow‐moving water. We studied the relationship between beaver dams and pond‐breeding amphibians in the southern Washington Cascade Range of the north‐west U.S.A. by surveying 29 beaver‐dammed and 20 undammed lentic sites in three mid‐elevation (560–1,010 m) spatial blocks. We found that mean amphibian species richness was 2.7 times higher in dammed sites than in undammed sites (2.4 vs. 0.9 species). This increase in species richness was driven by increased occupancy of slow‐developing species—red‐legged frogs (Rana aurora) and northwestern salamanders (Ambystoma gracile)—which were also more abundant at sites with dams. These two species were detected almost exclusively in beaver‐dammed sites, suggesting that some amphibians rely heavily on beaver‐dammed sites for successful reproduction in areas such as our study blocks where ponds and wetlands with long hydroperiods are otherwise scarce. Species with highly variable development periods—long‐toed salamanders (Ambystoma macrodactylum) and rough‐skinned newts (Taricha granulosa)—showed nonsignificant trends of higher site occupancy and, in the case of newts, higher number of mating events per hectare in dammed sites compared to undammed sites. Compared to undammed sites, dammed ponds were consistently deeper and had longer hydroperiods, consistent with beavers benefitting slow‐developing amphibians primarily by increasing the quality of lentic breeding habitat. We suggest that slow‐developing amphibians and some variable‐rate developers might benefit greatly from beaver restoration, especially in areas where climate change is predicted to reduce summertime water levels. Beavers could therefore be useful and important components of ecosystem‐based restoration, management, and climate adaption, especially in parts of their native ranges in North America or Eurasia predicted to undergo climatic drying.

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Recovery in the melting pot: complex origins and restored genetic diversity in newly established Eurasian beaver (Rodentia: Castoridae) populations

Munclinger

Syrůčková

Náhlovský

et al. 2022

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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Several larger vertebrate species have recovered from dramatic bottlenecks caused by overhunting and habitat destruction. One of the most notable comebacks concerns the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber L.), which has increased its range by natural dispersal from both relict populations and populations established through translocations. Genetic methods have recently been used to study beavers at several locations. However, owing to a lack of reference samples from relict populations and alternative names of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes, the ancestry of re-established beaver populations remains obscure. Here, we focus on the genetic characterization of several newly established populations. Unlike previous studies, we also used microsatellite genotypes of reference samples from all relict populations. Our analysis was fully capable of tracing the origin of the nuclear and mitochondrial genome to relict populations. Although we confirmed an extraordinarily low genetic diversity in relict populations, our analysis showed restored diversity in newly established populations resulting from translocations. Recent expansions and stochastic effects have created a strong but complicated population structure, with neighbouring populations differing significantly in genetic composition. We conclude that this restored genetic diversity very likely contributes to the viability and ongoing expansion of the newly established populations.

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Recolonizing lost habitat—how European beavers (Castor fiber) return to south-western Germany

Cited by 3 publications

References 42 publications

Riparian wetland rehabilitation and beaver re-colonization impacts on hydrological processes and water quality in a lowland agricultural catchment

Riparian wetland rehabilitation and beaver re-colonization impacts on hydrological processes and water quality in a lowland agricultural catchment

Beaver dams are associated with enhanced amphibian diversity via lengthened hydroperiods and increased representation of slow‐developing species

Recovery in the melting pot: complex origins and restored genetic diversity in newly established Eurasian beaver (Rodentia: Castoridae) populations

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