Engineers lose jobs to beavers

In the video ‘How wolves change rivers’, we come across ecosystem engineers. When I watched the video, I immediately wanted to know more about natures’ very own engineers.

Did you know? Humans are ecosystem engineers too.

But in this blog I will be focusing on one particular ecosystem engineer – the beaver.

Image 1: A beaver observes his surroundings (Steve Hersey 2007)

Ecosystem engineers, like keystone species, are important for the vitality of the ecosystem. However their impacts are not direct. Rather, they manipulate the environment around them, creating, modifying or maintaining habitats, and shifting the physiology of the ecosystem (Jones et al. 1994)

Image 2: A beaver builds a dam (Demeur 2014)

Beavers are the epitome of ecosystem engineers. Beavers build dam structures that provide shelter, protection and easy access to food (Link 2014).

Beavers are indeed very proficient architects. Using trees, branches, stones and mud, beavers construct a habitat consisting of a cosy chamber with one or two entrances and a woodchip floor to keep the moisture away.

Image 3: A beaver's home (Anonymous 2014)

Their dams create wetlands, slow erosion, alter hydrology, purify water, influence succession and encourage the growth of many plants (Natureworks 2014).

Beavers and other ecosystem engineers are vital to ecosystem dynamics. They are keystone species. Just imagine how different many of our ecosystems would be without our natural engineers.

Image sources

Hersey, S 2007, 'A beaver observes his surroundings', Photo, flickr, USA, viewed 26 March 2014,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_beaver>

Demeur, 2014, 'A beaver builds a dam', Photo, Blogspot, viewed 26 March 2014,  <http://demeur.blogspot.com.au/2010_08_01_archive.html>

Anonymous 2014, 'A beaver's home', Wikispaces, viewed 26 March 2014,  <https://designeranimals.wikispaces.com/North+American+Beaver>

Sources

Jones, C.G, Lawton, J.H & Shackak, M 1994, ‘Organisms as ecosystem engineers’, Oikos, vol. 69, no. 3, pp. 373-386

Link, R 2014, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, viewed 26 March 2014, <http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/beavers.html>

Natureworks 2014, New Hampshire public television, viewed 26 March 2014, <http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/beaver.htm>