1. Beaver Life History & Biology Dr. John Stella Anna Harrison SUNY ESF 19 th September 2011

2. The Colony The Colony Family/colony unit (6-8 related individuals) Active colonies spaced at least 0.25 miles from other colonies Mark territory with scent mounds

3. Love of the water Lodge is the central place for a beaver colony Beaver more agile in water than on land Aquatic habitat protects them from predators Attempt to maximize time in water, minimize time on land

4. Food preferences Spring/Summer diet: herbaceous, aquatic vegetation Fall/Winter diet: trees and tubers Beaver collect food for winter in food cache, store next to lodge

5. Initial site establishment Well established drivers (Bradt 1938) that create largest possible pond area: – Low stream gradient – Small stream cross-sectional area 5

6. Beaver site establishment Dams also built as ‘safe’ transportation corridors to connect large ponds

7. Beaver site establishment Ultimate purpose of dam: location for lodge

8. Beaver Impacts: landscape change Beaver change landscape from terrestrial to aquatic Most landscape change occurs in first 20 years of occupancy

9. Beaver impacts: increase wetland area Greater landscape diversity – Wright 2002 Waterfowl habitat Amphibian habitat – Karraker and Gibbs 2009 9 9

10. Pond Meadow Old Pond Stream Naiman 1988 New Pond Beaver impacts: Possible beaver pond succession post abandonment

11. Beaver impacts: forest structure 11 Trees used for food and dam/lodge building resources Beaver can ‘clear cut’ areas with young trees

12. Beaver impacts: forest structure Remove understory and canopy trees Open areas up to shrubby species

13. Beaver Impacts: foraging Generalized Central place foraging model P Distance from the impoundment Selectivity Non-preferred Opportunistic Most Preferred

14. Ecosystem Engineer slides I’m not sure if/where you’ll want to use these, but they are a good example of culvert blockage, flooding, dam removal and beaver deceiver at HWF

15. 15 Ecosystem engineer Photo: Adirondack Ecological Center

16. 16 Ecosystem engineer Photo: Adirondack Ecological Center

17. 17 Ecosystem engineer

18. 18 Ecosystem engineer