Utilisation of woody plants for lodge construction by European beaver (Castor fiber) in the Loire valley, France
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Joëlle Fustec
Abstract
Selection and use of woody plants in beaver (Castor fiber) lodge construction on the Loire River are poorly understood. We investigated woody species used by beaver for construction and analysed the efficiency of the tree-cutting technique used. We observed that beavers used branches of Salicaceae of large diameter (approx. 4.5 cm) to build the frames of their lodges, even in sites where these were scarce. They then cut small branches of the more abundant species in any given site (Salix fragilis, S. alba, Fraxinus angustifolia, Ulmus minor) to cover the lodge. The shapes of cut tree sections depended on diameter at the cut, and orientation was related to bank slope. Most cut trees (55%) fell into the water, where they were more easily exploited than those that fell in other directions. We conclude that beavers of the Loire River need Salicaceae for construction, even where they are scarce. The tree-cutting technique is efficient for exploiting fallen trees, but leads to changes in plant morphology. Repeated use by beaver creates shrubby re-growth that is too small for use in lodge construction.
©2007 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
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Artikel in diesem Heft
- Meetings
- Daytime cover, diet and space-use of golden jackals (Canis aureus) in agro-ecosystems of Bangladesh
- Utilisation of woody plants for lodge construction by European beaver (Castor fiber) in the Loire valley, France
- The importance of ponds for the otter (Lutra lutra) during drought periods in Mediterranean ecosystems: A case study in Bergantes River
- The odors of predators influence the behavior of the silky pocket mouse, Perognathus flavus (Rodentia)
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- Mammal survey on Phu Quoc Island, southern Vietnam
- Checklist of mammals of the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania
- Morphological and morphometric analyses of dental and cranial characters in Apodemus hyrcanicus and A. witherbyi (Rodentia: Muridae) from Iran
- Morphological and chromosomal taxonomic assessment of Sylvilagus brasiliensis gabbi (Leporidae)
- Status of the African bats Vesperugo grandidieri Dobson 1876 and Vesperugo flavescens Seabra 1900 (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae), with description of a new subgenus
- Banded together: a review of the factors favouring group living in a social carnivore, the banded mongoose Mungos mungo (Carnivora: Herpestidae)
- Residues of DDT and other organochlorines in small mammals from Central Portugal
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- Abnormal and supernumerary teeth in the dentition of a greater Egyptian jerboa Jaculus orientalis (Dipodoidea, Rodentia)
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