Beaver as Engineers: Influences on Biotic and Abiotic Characteristics of Drainage Basins

Abstract

Beavers affect ecosystem states and processes by altering the physical properties of stream channels and riparian forests. Beavers influence the distribution, standing stocks and availability of chemical elements by changing the hydrology; alter stream geomorphology as dams trap sediment; and change microclimates as water surface area increases and with the opening of previously closed forest canopies. Beavers also increase plant, vertebrate and invertebrate diversity and biomass, and also alter the successional dynamics of riparian communities. Both abiotic and biotic influences are long-lasting, affecting system level patterns and processes.