Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Influence of the Activity of the Eurasian Beaver Castor fiber (Castoridae, Mammalia) on the Ecosystem Biodiversity of Small Rivers in the Forest–Steppe Zone

  • Published:
Biology Bulletin Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract—Preliminary data on the impact of the activity of the Eurasian beaver on the ecosystem biodiversity of small rivers in three steppe areas within the Privolzhskaya Lesostep’ State Nature Reserve in the Khoper River basin were obtained. With zooplankton, amphibians, and fish as examples, it was shown that after beaver-made ponds had appeared, the abundance of all these groups increased. In old ponds, the fish abundance decreased while that of amphibians continued to increase. In drained ponds, the zooplankton and amphibian abundance decreased while fish became more numerous, due to the appearance of better flowage.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 6.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Andronikova, I.N., Strukturno-funktsional’naya organizatsiya zooplanktona ozernykh ekosistem raznykh troficheskikh tipov (Structural and Functional Organization of Zooplankton in Lake Ecosystems of Different Trophic Types), St. Petersburg: Nauka. S.-Peterb. Otd., 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Balciauskas, L., Balciauskiene, L., and Trakimus, G., Beaver influence on amphibian breeding in the agrolandscape, in The European Beaver in a New Millennium: Proceedings of 2nd European Beaver Symposium, Krakyw: Carpathian Heritage Society, 2001, pp. 105–112.

  3. Balushkina, E.V. and Vinberg, G.G., The relationship between the body length and weight in planktonic crustaceans, in Eksperimental’nye i polevye issledovaniya biologicheskikh osnov produktivnosti ozer (Experimental and field studies of the biological bases of lake productivity), Leningrad: Nauka, Leningr. Otd., 1979, pp. 58–72.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Bashinskii, I.V., Impact assessment of European beaver reintroduction on amphibians of small rivers, Ross. Zh. Biol. Invazii, 2014, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 134–145.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Chuikov, Yu.S., Methods for environmental analysis of the composition and structure of aquatic animal communities: ecological classification of invertebrates occurring in the freshwater plankton, Ekologiya, 1981, no. 3, pp. 71–77.

  6. Cunningham, J.M., Calhoun, A.J.K., and Glanz, W.E., Pond-breeding amphibian species richness and habitat selection in a beaver-modified landscape, J. Wildl. Manage., 2007, vol. 71, pp. 2517–2526.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Dalbeck, L., Luscher, B., and Ohlhof, D., Beaver ponds as habitat of amphibian communities in a Central European Highland, Amphibia–Reptilia, 2007, vol. 28, pp. 493–501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Dalbeck, L. and Weinberg, K., Artificial ponds: a substitute for natural beaver ponds in a Central European Highland (Eifel, Germany)?, Hydrobiologia, 2009, vol. 630, pp. 49–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Dgebuadze, Yu.Yu., Ecology of invasions and population contacts of animals: general approaches, in Vidy-vselentsy v evropeiskikh moryakh Rossii (Invader Species in the European Seas of Russia), Apatity: Murm. Morsk. Biol. Inst., Kol’sk. Nauch. Tsentra, Ross. Akad. Nauk, 2000, pp. 35–50.

  10. Dgebuadze, Yu.Yu., Skomorokhov, M.O., and Zav’yalov, N.A., Preliminary data on the fish population of a small “beaver river” of the Novgorod oblast, Trudy Gosudarstvennogo Prirodnogo zapovednika “Rdeiskii” (Transactions of Rdeiskii State Nature Reserve), Velikii Novgorod, 2009, no. 1, pp. 173–186.

  11. Dgebuadze, Yu.Yu., Zav’yalov, N.A., and Petrosyan, V.G., Rechnoi bobr (Castor fiber L.) kak klyuchevoi vid ekosistemy maloi reki (na primere Prioksko-Terrasnogo gosudarstvennogo biosfernogo prirodnogo zapovednika) (European beaver (Castor fiber L.) as a key species of a small river ecosystem (a case study of the Prioksko-Terrasnyi State Biosphere Nature Reserve)), Moscow: T-vo Nauch. Izd. KMK, 2012.

  12. Ekosistema maloi reki v izmenyayushchikhsya usloviyakh sredy (Small River Ecosystem Under Changing Environmental Conditions), Moscow: T-vo Nauch. Izd. KMK, 2007.

  13. Ermokhin, M.V. and Tabachishin, V.G., Evaluation of reproducibility of the results of census of migratory fingerlings of the common spadefoot (Pelobates fuscus) with full and partial enclosure of a spawning water body with fences with trapping cylinders, Sovr. Gerpetol., 2011, vol. 11, nos. 3/4, pp. 145–154.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Karraker, N.E. and Gibbs, J.P., Amphibian production in forested landscapes in relation to wetland hydroperiod: a case study of vernal pools and beaver ponds, Biol. Conserv., 2009, vol. 142, no. Iss. 12, pp. 2293–2302.

  15. Heyer, V.R., Donnelly, M.A., Mack Dayermid, R.V., Hayek, L.-E.S., and Foster, M.S., Izmerenie i monitoring biologicheskogo raznoobraziya: standartnye metody dlya zemnovodnykh (Measurement and Monitoring of Biodiversity: Standard Methods for Amphibians), Moscow: T-vo Nauch. Izd. KMK, 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Krylov, A.V., Zooplankton ravninnykh malykh rek (Zooplankton of Plain Small Rivers), Moscow: Nauka, 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Materialy gidrometeorologicheskikh nablyudenii na polevykh i lesnykh parnykh vodosborakh (1974–1975) (Meteorological observation data in the field and forest paired catchments (1974–1975)), Leningrad: Gidrometeoizdat, 1981.

  18. Materialy gidrometeorologicheskikh nablyudenii na polevykh i lesnykh parnykh vodosborakh (1975 g.) (Meteorological observation data in the field and forest paired catchments (1975)), Leningrad: Gidrometeoizdat, 1982.

  19. Metodika izucheniya biogeotsenozov vnutrennikh vodoemov (Method of Studying Biogeocenoses of Inland Water Bodies), Moscow: Nauka, 1975.

  20. Mills, L.S., Soule, M.E., and Doak, D.F., The keystone-species concept in ecology and conservation, BioScience, 1993, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 219–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Mozzherin, V.I. and Kurbanova, S.G., Deyatel’nost’ cheloveka i erozionno-ruslovye sistemy Srednego Povolzh’ya (Human Activity and Erosion–Riverbed Systems of the Middle Volga Region), Kazan: Art Design, 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Paine, R.T., A note on trophic complexity and community stability, Am. Nat., 1969, vol. 103, no. 929, pp. 91–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Russel, K.R., Moorman, C.E., Edwards, J.K., Metts, B.S., and Guynn, Jr.D.C., Amphibian and reptile communities associated with beaver (Castor canadensis) ponds and unimpounded streams in the piedmont of South Carolina, J. Freshwater Ecol., 1999, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 149–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Sladecek, V., System of water quality from biological point of view, in Erhebnisse der Limnologie, Stuttgart, 1973, pp. 1–218.

  25. Sladecek, V., Rotifers as indicators of water quality, Hydrobiologia, 1983, vol. 100, no. 2, pp. 169–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Stevens, C.E., Paszkowski, C.A., and Scrimgeour, G.J., Older is better: beaver ponds on boreal streams as breeding habitat for the wood frog, J. Wildl. Manage., 2006, vol. 70, no. 5, pp. 1360–1371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Zav’yalov, N.A., Krylov, A.V., Bobrov, A.A., Ivanov, V.K., and Dgebuadze, Yu.Yu., Vliyanie rechnogo bobra na ekosistemy malykh rek (Influence of Beaver on the Ecosystems of Small Rivers), Moscow: Nauka, 2005.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Academician Yu.Yu. Dgebuadze for assistance in the preparation of the publication and A.O. Svinin and O.A. Ermakov for assistance in identifying the frogs of the genus Pelophylax.

The field research was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project nos. 14-04-31458 mol_a and 16-34-0039 mol_a); the interpretation of the results obtained, the review of the sources, and the preparation of materials for publication were supported by the Russian Science Foundation (project no. 16-14-10323).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Privolzhskaya Lesostep’ State Nature Reserve, 440031, Penza, Russia

    V. V. Osipov

  2. Severtsov Institute of the Problems of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117071, Moscow, Russia

    I. V. Bashinskiy

  3. Prisurskii State Nature Reserve, 428034, Cheboksary, Russia

    V. N. Podshivalina

Authors
  1. V. V. Osipov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. I. V. Bashinskiy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. V. N. Podshivalina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to V. V. Osipov.

Additional information

Translated by N. Smolina

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Osipov, V.V., Bashinskiy, I.V. & Podshivalina, V.N. Influence of the Activity of the Eurasian Beaver Castor fiber (Castoridae, Mammalia) on the Ecosystem Biodiversity of Small Rivers in the Forest–Steppe Zone. Biol Bull Russ Acad Sci 45, 1139–1148 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062359018100205

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062359018100205

Search

Navigation