Invertebrates in beaver-created wetlands and ponds

Abstract

Eurasian (Castor fiber) and North American (Castor canadensis) beavers are semiaquatic mammals that modify the hydrology of streams and other water bodies by constructing dams throughout the temperate and boreal zones of North America and Europe. Our review suggests that beaver wetlands complexes support high invertebrate taxon richness primarily due to high habitat heterogeneity. Beaver-created wetlands have a variety of subhabitats, and beaver activities (damming of streams, building of channels, etc.) create a mosaic of lentic and lotic hydrology that provides habitat for stream, pond, and semi-aquatic invertebrates. Beaver also create and maintain new wetlands as well as enhancing existing ones, which may help maintain wetland habitat for invertebrates in the face of climate change and habitat destruction.