Ontogeny and Diurnal Cycle of Fecal Reingestion in the North American Beaver (Castor canadensis)

Buech, Richard R.

doi:10.2307/1381180

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Our estimate of mean retention time of aspen leaf, bark, and twig tissues was somewhat shorter than the 34 h reported in a previous study (Buech 1984). Buech's work was based on a single animal fed bark only.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 73%

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Retention Time and the Functional Response of Beavers

Fryxell¹,

Vamosi²,

Walton³

et al. 1994

Oikos

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We investigated the effects of interspecific variation in forage retention time on rates of food intake and energy gain by beavers. Ad libitum intake rates by beavers were a hyperbolic function of retention time in the digestive tract and a positive linear function of beaver live mass. Mean retention times of animals on mixed diets varied proportionately with diet composition. Daily intake rates by beavers provided with monospecific stands of trembling aspen or speckled alder saplings showed a monotonically decelerating (type 2) functional response to changes in sapling biomass density. Daily intake rates differed between these two forage species, such that alder with a long retention time produced lower consumption rates than aspen with a short retention time. Net rates of energy gain were also reduced when animals foraged on species with long retention time. Our results suggest that interspecific variation in retention time plays an important role in determining rates of dry matter intake and energy gain by beavers, which could influence the stability of beaver-vegetation interactions.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 73%

“…Feces were collected at 2-h intervals over the following 30-90 h. Feces were placed in a bucket of water, broken up, and the floating beads were then recovered from the surface. Although beavers are coprophagous (Buech 1984), this did not bias our estimates of retention time. After the first passage through the gut.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Retention Time and the Functional Response of Beavers

Fryxell¹,

Vamosi²,

Walton³

et al. 1994

Oikos

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“…If the beaver both feed and defecate on land, however, there would be no net movement of nutrients. Buech (1984) has observed that both feeding and defecation in captive beaver were most intense during the early evening, a time when they are most likely to be found in riparian zones.…”

Section: Materials Transport By Beavermentioning

confidence: 99%

Boundary dynamics at the aquatic-terrestrial interface: The influence of beaver and geomorphology

1987

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Beaver (Castor canadensis) impoundments are used to illustrate the effect of large animals on the boundary dynamics of 'patch bodies', volumetric landscape units which have surficial boundaries with upper and lower strata, and lateral boundaries with adjacent patches within the same stratum. Patch bodies created by beaver impoundments include the beaver pond, the aerobic soil beneath the pond, and thee underlying anaerobic soil. Beaver herbivory in the riparian zone creates an additional patch body concentric to the pond. Beaver and water are the primary biotic and abiotic vectors mediating fluxes across lateral patctt body boundaries; vegetation and microbes are the primary biotic vectors mediating fluxes across surficial patch body boundaries.Basin geomorphology affects the permeability of pond boundaries (i.e., their ability to transmit, energy and materials) by affecting the kinetic energy of water, the surface-to-volume ratio of the impoundment, and the movement of beaver between the pond and the riparian l'oraging zone. We suggest that: (1) permeability of lateral boundaries to abiotic vectors is a function of kinetic energy; (2) within-patch retention of particulate matter transferred by abiotic vectors across lateral boundaries is maximized by a decrease in kinetic energy; (3) lateral patch boundaries between safe refuge and a resource used by an animal vector are most permeable when they are narrow; and (4) total amount ol ~ energy and materials transferred across surficial boundaries is maximized by increasing surface area.

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“…In an open water wetland environment within Alberta, Hood and Bayley (2008) also observed extensive time spent by beaver excavating benthic wetland canals during periods of drought. On a daily scale, it is most likely that canal construction occurs during dusk, dawn, or overnight, times when beaver are generally most active (Buech, 1984; Hodgson and Lancia, 1983). According to Hodgson (1946), beaver will excavate canals before cutting wood in targeted areas, but Mills (1913) and Abbott et al (2013) noted that canals are continuously extended as riparian resources are depleted.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beaver canals and their environmental effects

Grudzinski

Cummins

Vang

2019

Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment

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Beaver canals and their environmental effects are much less studied than beaver dams, despite being widespread in some beaver-inhabited areas. In this study, we completed a systematic review of previous research on the structure and ecosystem effects of beaver canals to provide an increasingly holistic understanding of these landscape features. Specifically, we: 1) summarized why, where, when, and how beaver develop canals; 2) chronicled all published descriptions on beaver canal morphology; and 3) summarized the literature on the environmental effects of beaver canals. Thirty-one relevant studies were identified and incorporated into this review. Beaver canals have been identified in numerous environments ranging from largely undeveloped mountainous regions to heavily developed agricultural landscapes. Beaver primarily develop canals to increase accessibility to riparian resources, facilitate transport of harvested resources, and to decrease predation risk. As with beaver dams, beaver canals exhibit large structural variability, particularly in lengths, which can be over 0.5 km. Widths of about 1 m and depths of about 0.5 m are common. Beaver canals alter watershed hydrology by creating new aquatic habitats, connecting isolated aquatic features, and diverting water into colonized areas. Beaver canals have been identified as favored habitats for several biotic species and are sometimes used during critical life stages (e.g. dispersal). In addition to increasing overall floral and faunal species richness and diversity, beaver canals may benefit biota by mitigating habitat fragmentation and climate change impacts. Based on the results of this review, incorporating beaver canals into stream restoration practices may be environmentally beneficial.

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Ontogeny and Diurnal Cycle of Fecal Reingestion in the North American Beaver (Castor canadensis)

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Retention Time and the Functional Response of Beavers

Retention Time and the Functional Response of Beavers

Boundary dynamics at the aquatic-terrestrial interface: The influence of beaver and geomorphology

Beaver canals and their environmental effects

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