Journal
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Volume 9, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44381-2
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Funding
- National Science Foundation [EAR-0844293]
- Earth and Planetary Science Department at the University of New Mexico
- Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
- University of Montana Western (UMW)
- Nature Conservancy of Montana
- National Center for Airborne Laser Swath Mapping [EAR-1043051]
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Given the direct effects of their dams on hydrology, sediment storage, and vegetation, beaver are widely acknowledged as ecosystem engineers. Here we explore the effects of beaver activity on channel processes and riparian plant recruitment beyond those dams and after dam abandonment in southwestern Montana, USA. Willow cuttings from beaver herbivory are commonly deposited along point bars, adding roughness and promoting sediment accumulation. Most cuttings are found <1km downstream of an active dam. These cuttings often sprout, aiding in willow colonization and bar stabilization. Thirty-four radiocarbon ages show that beaver cuttings have accumulated by similar processes over thousands of years, adding to floodplain carbon storage. Breached dams can initiate meanders, increasing channel and riparian habitat diversity. Beaver activity thus generates a cycle of frequent disturbance, from dam building and riparian plant browsing through dam failure and abandonment, with each phase influencing channel and floodplain evolution and riparian plant recruitment.
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