Beaver impact on stream fish life histories: the role of landscape and local attributes

Abstract

The Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) has been reintroduced into the Carpathian Mountains and has once again become an important factor for modifying streams. Forty-three sampling sites were compared with 10 reference sites in streams not settled by beavers. Models related to the impacts of beavers on various fish life history stages and a model presenting attributes influencing the ichthyofauna structure in streams with and without beavers were generated. Significant differences in the fish species composition were found between beaver ponds versus the running sections of streams. The changes associated with pond aging caused decrease of Siberian bullhead (Cottus poecilopus) density. For brown trout (Salmo trutta), beaver ponds were the only location where large individuals were found, while the upstream parts of the beaver complexes provided spawning habitat and an area for fry growth. Common minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) and stone loach (Barbatula barbatula) had higher density in ponds than in streams. The decisive factors for the ichthyofauna in the mountain streams settled by beavers were local attributes related to beaver activity. Our results illustrate interactions among beaver, landscape context, and fish life history in influencing the response of the stream fish assemblages to beaver recolonization. It also helps answer the question of how Eurasian beaver influence stream fish assemblages, at a much larger scale than previous studies.