Graduate Program

Biological Sciences

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Semester of Degree Completion

2006

Thesis Director

Thomas Nelson

Thesis Committee Member

Paul Switzer

Thesis Committee Member

Eric Bollinger

Abstract

The beaver (Castor canadensis) is an ecologically and economically important species that has been much studied and exploited during its long association with humans (Bradt 1938, Hodgdon 1978, Novak 1987, Muller-Schwartze and Schulte 1999). Beavers have been described as ecosystem engineers and a keystone species because of their ability to physically modify, maintain, or create wetlands thereby controlling resources used by other organisms and altering the physical state of the environment (Jones et al. 1994). They are capable of impacting the local environment through dam construction, selective tree harvest, and den construction. For example, beaver dams impact stream hydrology, nutrient cycling, and increase carbon and nitrogen availability by adding woody material into aquatic systems (Naiman et al. 1986). Furthermore, the site of a beaver colony may be flooded during periods of occupancy when a dam is maintained tranformed into a meadow when the site is abandoned and the dam is washed out. These periods of aerobic and anaerobic conditions impact soil profiles and chemistry (Johnston et al. 1995).

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