Beaver: Nature's ecosystem engineers

Brazier, Richard E.; Puttock, Alan; Graham, Hugh A.; Auster, Roger E.; Davies, Kye H.; Brown, Chryssa M. L.

doi:10.1002/wat2.1494

Cited by 125 publications

(116 citation statements)

References 190 publications

(419 reference statements)

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“…Beavers ( Castor sp.) are a good example (Brazier et al, 2020; Gurnell, 1998); their ponds and wetlands retain large amounts of sediment (millions to billions of cubic meters in North America, for example) and can therefore have a significant impact on reach, catchment and continent‐scale sediment storage and delivery (Butler & Malanson, 2005; de Visscher et al, 2014; Puttock et al, 2018). Widespread removal of beavers from western North America following European colonization dramatically affected river form, and the geomorphic work of recovering beaver populations can dominate floodplain processes (Polvi & Wohl, 2012; Westbrook et al, 2011).…”

Section: Challenging Five Sources Of Indifference About Zoogeomorphologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Why so skeptical? The role of animals in fluvial geomorphology

Rice

2021

WIREs Water

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Despite acknowledgement of zoogeomorphological impacts and a positive trajectory for biogeomorphology, the cumulative geomorphic significance of animals remains largely unknown across geomorphic scales. We do not know the proportion of erosion, transport and deposition that is mediated by animal activity in different environments and cannot answer questions like how changing animal distributions under climate change will affect sediment fluxes and landscapes? This partly reflects a healthy skepticism about the net significance of biological energy and zoogeomorphic processes when set against the orthodox assumption that geophysical energy dominates. Zoogeomorphology is regarded as a “niche” interest, or worse, as inconsequential. Drawing on examples from fluvial geomorphology, this essay challenges that skepticism with the aim of encouraging greater consideration of the relevance of coupled biomorphodynamic systems. Five assumptions that belittle the role of animals are considered: that the number of species acting as geomorphic agents is small and their abundance limited; that limited geographical extent and periods of activity preclude widespread effects; and that impacts on sediment fluxes and morphological change are insignificant. In the hope that some skepticism is overcome, four interrelated challenges for future research are outlined: empirical investigation of zoogeomorphic processes, scaling‐up process understanding, embracing new technologies and approaches, and developing suitably integrated modeling tools. Such advances, alongside a willingness to recognize coupled biomorphodynamic interactions as the norm, rather than the exception, can improve our ability to understand both geomorphological and ecological phenomena and transform our understanding of how landscapes interact with the animals that live on, and in, them. This article is categorized under: Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness Water and Life > Nature of Freshwater Ecosystems

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Section: Challenging Five Sources Of Indifference About Zoogeomorphologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Why so skeptical? The role of animals in fluvial geomorphology

Rice

2021

WIREs Water

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“…Beavers are ecosystem engineers that build dams across and alongside rivers (Brazier et al, 2020;Larsen et al, 2020). These wood accumulations increase the storage of water, sediment, organic matter and nutrients on floodplains, and thus have several ecological benefits (Wohl, 2013;Bouwes et al, 2016;Macfarlane et al, 2017).…”

Section: Beaver Dams In the Tualatin Basin Oregonmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic approach and software for the analysis of point patterns on river networks

Schwanghart¹,

Molkenthin²,

Scherler³

2020

Preprint

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Many geomorphic phenomena such as bank failures, landslide dams, riffle-pool sequences and knickpoints can be modelled as spatial point processes. However, as the locations of these phenomena are constrained to lie on or alongside rivers, their analysis must account for the geometry and topology of river networks. Here, we introduce a new numeric class in TopoToolbox called Point Pattern on Stream networks (PPS), which supports exploratory analysis, statistical modelling, simulation and visualization of point processes. We present two case studies that aim at inferring processes and factors that control the spatial density of geomorphic phenomena along river networks: the analysis of knickpoints in river profiles, and modelling spatial locations of beaver dams based on topographic metrics. The case studies rely on exploratory analysis and statistical inference using inhomogeneous Poisson point processes. Thereby, statistical and probabilistic procedures implemented in PPS provide a systematic approach for treating of uncertainties. PPS provides a consistent numeric framework for modelling point processes on river networks with a wide range of applications in fluvial geomorphology, but also other disciplines such as ecology.

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“…The relative importance of such semi-diffuse sources of phosphorus to small streams is expected to increase due to urban sprawl [45]. On the other hand, in the Northern Hemisphere the degraded stream ecosystems are now impacted by the expansion of beavers [46,47]. Accordingly, the presented study addresses the influence of a beaver dam impoundment on phosphorus retention and transport.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phosphorus Transport in a Lowland Stream Derived from a Tracer Test with 32P

Zięba

Wachniew

2021

Water

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Small streams in urbanized rural areas receive loads of P from various, often episodic, sources. This paper addresses, through a tracer test with 32P, retention and transport of a pulse input of phosphorus in a 2.6 km long stretch of a channelized second-order lowland stream. Tritiated water was introduced alongside the 32P-labelled ortophosphate in order to isolate the influence of the hydrodynamic factors on P behavior. Tracer concentrations in unfiltered water samples were measured by liquid scintillation counting. Four in-stream and five hyporheic breakthrough curves were collected at four points along the stream, two of which encompass a beaver dam impoundment. The overall retention efficiency of 32P along the studied reach was 46%. The transient storage transport model OTIS-P provided reasonable fits for in-stream breakthrough curves (BTCs) but failed at reproducing the hyporheic BTCs. The overall small effect of transient storage on solute transport was higher in the stretch with a more pronounced surface storage. Transient storage and phosphorus retention were not enhanced in the beaver dam impoundment.

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Beaver: Nature's ecosystem engineers

Cited by 125 publications

References 190 publications

Why so skeptical? The role of animals in fluvial geomorphology

Why so skeptical? The role of animals in fluvial geomorphology

A systematic approach and software for the analysis of point patterns on river networks

Phosphorus Transport in a Lowland Stream Derived from a Tracer Test with 32P

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