Sprucing up beaver meadows

Abstract

When beavers dam streams, they inadvertently set in motion a process that leads, eventually, to the forest re-establishing itself. Once the beavers have abandoned their ponds, and the dams are breached, the ponds drain and are invaded by vegetation. But it can take up to 70 years for a forest cover to become established here, and a new study indicates that this is all down to a tiny fungus.