Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/30071
Full metadata record
DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.authorLaw, Alanen_UK
dc.contributor.authorLevanoni, Odeden_UK
dc.contributor.authorFoster, Garthen_UK
dc.contributor.authorEcke, Fraukeen_UK
dc.contributor.authorWillby, Nigel J.en_UK
dc.date.accessioned2019-09-12T00:00:17Z-
dc.date.available2019-09-12T00:00:17Z-
dc.date.issued2019-11en_UK
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1893/30071-
dc.description.abstractAim To determine whether reintroduced beavers, as an example of native herbivorous megafauna, can increase freshwater biodiversity at the landscape scale and to compare effects on two contrasting taxonomic groups. Location South‐central Sweden. Methods We collected data on plant and water beetle composition and supporting environmental variables from 20 closely located wetlands, half created from the damming of streams by beavers—beaver ponds (BP), and half by other, mainly natural (e.g. topographic, river migration) means—other wetlands (OW). Differences in species composition and plant growth strategy (i.e. competitor, stress tolerator or ruderal) between wetland types were assessed using multivariate analyses. Results The species pool of both taxonomic groups was higher in BP than OW (plants + 17%; beetles + 15%). For both groups, the number of species unique to BP was 50% higher than those unique to OW. Plant and beetle compositions differed significantly between wetlands, most strongly for plants, while rarity scores showed no difference, and the incidence of invasive species was negligible. Plant composition was mostly influenced by open water, bare ground and woody debris in BP, and plant cover, height and leaf litter in OW. This was consistent with the characterization of BP vegetation by ruderal plants and OW by competitors and stress tolerators. A significant residual effect of wetland type on plant, but not beetle composition, suggests that beavers exert important direct effects on some biota (e.g. via herbivory) independent of the indirect effects they exert via environmental change. Main conclusions Beaver‐created ponds support novel biodiversity that is not merely a subset of that found elsewhere in the same landscape. As such, re‐establishing beaver populations where they are native should benefit freshwater biodiversity, but effects may be context and taxon specific. Beavers alone cannot solve the freshwater biodiversity crisis, but recognizing the widespread importance of herbivorous megafauna in maintaining heterogeneity and creating novel habitat will be a positive step.en_UK
dc.language.isoenen_UK
dc.publisherWileyen_UK
dc.relationLaw A, Levanoni O, Foster G, Ecke F & Willby NJ (2019) Are beavers a solution to the freshwater biodiversity crisis?. Diversity and Distributions, 25 (11), pp. 1763-1772. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12978en_UK
dc.relation.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11667/140en_UK
dc.rights© 2019 The Authors. Diversity and Distributions published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.en_UK
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en_UK
dc.subjectaquatic planten_UK
dc.subjectbeaveren_UK
dc.subjectbeta diversityen_UK
dc.subjectecosystem engineeren_UK
dc.subjecthabitat heterogeneityen_UK
dc.subjectherbivoryen_UK
dc.subjectwater beetleen_UK
dc.subjectwetlandsen_UK
dc.titleAre beavers a solution to the freshwater biodiversity crisis?en_UK
dc.typeJournal Articleen_UK
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/ddi.12978en_UK
dc.citation.jtitleDiversity and Distributionsen_UK
dc.citation.issn1472-4642en_UK
dc.citation.issn1366-9516en_UK
dc.citation.volume25en_UK
dc.citation.issue11en_UK
dc.citation.spage1763en_UK
dc.citation.epage1772en_UK
dc.citation.publicationstatusPublisheden_UK
dc.citation.peerreviewedRefereeden_UK
dc.type.statusVoR - Version of Recorden_UK
dc.contributor.funderThe Carnegie Trusten_UK
dc.contributor.funderSvenska Forskningsrådet Formasen_UK
dc.citation.date22/08/2019en_UK
dc.contributor.affiliationBiological and Environmental Sciencesen_UK
dc.contributor.affiliationSwedish University of Agricultural Sciencesen_UK
dc.contributor.affiliationAquatic Coleoptera Conservation Trusten_UK
dc.contributor.affiliationSwedish University of Agricultural Sciencesen_UK
dc.contributor.affiliationBiological and Environmental Sciencesen_UK
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000482866300001en_UK
dc.identifier.scopusid2-s2.0-85071239086en_UK
dc.identifier.wtid1440910en_UK
dc.contributor.orcid0000-0001-5971-3214en_UK
dc.contributor.orcid0000-0003-0257-8693en_UK
dc.contributor.orcid0000-0003-4208-345Xen_UK
dc.contributor.orcid0000-0002-1020-0933en_UK
dc.date.accepted2019-07-31en_UK
dcterms.dateAccepted2019-07-31en_UK
dc.date.filedepositdate2019-09-11en_UK
dc.subject.tagBeaversen_UK
rioxxterms.apcpaiden_UK
rioxxterms.typeJournal Article/Reviewen_UK
rioxxterms.versionVoRen_UK
local.rioxx.authorLaw, Alan|0000-0001-5971-3214en_UK
local.rioxx.authorLevanoni, Oded|0000-0003-0257-8693en_UK
local.rioxx.authorFoster, Garth|en_UK
local.rioxx.authorEcke, Frauke|0000-0003-4208-345Xen_UK
local.rioxx.authorWillby, Nigel J.|0000-0002-1020-0933en_UK
local.rioxx.projectProject ID unknown|The Carnegie Trust|en_UK
local.rioxx.freetoreaddate2019-09-11en_UK
local.rioxx.licencehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/|2019-09-11|en_UK
local.rioxx.filenameLaw_et_al-2019-Diversity_and_Distributions.pdfen_UK
local.rioxx.filecount1en_UK
local.rioxx.source1472-4642en_UK
Appears in Collections:Biological and Environmental Sciences Journal Articles

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
Law_et_al-2019-Diversity_and_Distributions.pdfFulltext - Published Version583.18 kBAdobe PDFView/Open


This item is protected by original copyright



A file in this item is licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons

Items in the Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

The metadata of the records in the Repository are available under the CC0 public domain dedication: No Rights Reserved https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

If you believe that any material held in STORRE infringes copyright, please contact library@stir.ac.uk providing details and we will remove the Work from public display in STORRE and investigate your claim.