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Habitat conditions at beaver settlement sites: implications for beaver restoration projects
Author(s) -
Ritter Torrey D.,
Gower Claire N.,
McNew Lance B.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
restoration ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1526-100X
pISSN - 1061-2971
DOI - 10.1111/rec.13032
Subject(s) - beaver , stream restoration , riparian zone , habitat , castor canadensis , restoration ecology , watershed , ecology , ecosystem engineer , geography , environmental science , biology , machine learning , computer science
Recognition that beavers are integral components of stream ecosystems has resulted in an increase in beaver‐mediated habitat restoration projects. Beaver restoration projects are frequently implemented in degraded stream systems with little or no beaver activity. However, selection of restoration sites is often based on habitat suitability research comparing well‐established beaver colonies to unoccupied stream sections or abandoned colonies. Because beavers dramatically alter areas they occupy, assessing habitat conditions at active colonies may over‐emphasize habitat characteristics that are modified by beaver activity. During 2015–2017, we conducted beaver activity surveys on streams in the upper Missouri River watershed in southwest Montana, United States, to investigate habitat selection by beavers starting new colonies in novel areas. We compared new colony locations in unmodified stream segments to unsettled segments to evaluate conditions that promoted colonization. Newly settled stream segments had relatively low gradients ( β ± SE = −0.72 ± 0.27), narrow channels ( β = −1.31 ± 0.46), high channel complexity ( β = 0.76 ± 0.42), high canopy cover of woody riparian vegetation ( β = 0.56 ± 0.21), and low‐lying areas directly adjacent to the stream ( β = 0.36 ± 0.24), where β denotes covariate effect sizes. Habitat selection patterns differed between our new settlement site analysis and an analysis of occupied versus unoccupied stream segments, suggesting that assessing habitat suitability based on active colonies may result in misidentification of suitable site conditions for beaver restoration. Our research provides recommendations for beaver restoration practitioners to select restoration sites that will have the highest probability of successful colony establishment.