Asking the pikas politely…
Beavers are ecological engineers, benefitting the aquatic ecosystems with their dams and ponds. The beaver ponds change over time; beaver ponds of different ages will have different characteristics. These differences will influence what types of aquatic invertebrates will inhabit these ponds. Understanding these different successional stages will help us understand more about the beavers’ role in the ecosystem. We surveyed three newer beaver ponds and four older beaver ponds to assess the aquatic invertebrate community composition and taxa richness. The newer beaver ponds had an average of 18 taxa, whereas the older beaver ponds had an average of 28.25 taxa. The community composition between newer and older ponds was significantly different, due to some species that were unique or abundant for each pond age group. The habitat in the newer ponds is a type of middle ground between wetland and stream habitat. This could mean that few wetland and stream invertebrates can colonize there. The presence of trout in the newer ponds could also contribute to the low number of taxa. Learning more about the biodiversity associated with successional stages of beaver ponds can inform evaluation criteria for restoration using beaver and improve our understanding of beavers’ role in the ecosystem.
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