The Ecological Impacts and Modeling of the Beaver Dam Distribution: A Study on Habitat Characteristics and Environmental Factors in Romania
Beavers (<i>Castor fiber</i> L.) are recognized as keystone ecological engineers who shape freshwater ecosystems by modifying hydrology, sediment dynamics, and biodiversity. Although beaver populations have recovered across Europe, including Romania, understanding the environmental facto...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Ecologies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4133/6/2/34 |
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| author | Alexandru Gridan Ovidiu Ionescu Georgeta Ionescu Ancuta Fedorca Elena Ciocirlan Claudiu Pașca Darius Hardalau |
| author_facet | Alexandru Gridan Ovidiu Ionescu Georgeta Ionescu Ancuta Fedorca Elena Ciocirlan Claudiu Pașca Darius Hardalau |
| author_sort | Alexandru Gridan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Beavers (<i>Castor fiber</i> L.) are recognized as keystone ecological engineers who shape freshwater ecosystems by modifying hydrology, sediment dynamics, and biodiversity. Although beaver populations have recovered across Europe, including Romania, understanding the environmental factors driving their dam distribution remains limited. This study aimed to (i) characterize the physical and compositional features of beaver dams in the Râul Negru basin, Romania, (ii) model the environmental variables influencing the dam distribution using MaxEnt, and (iii) evaluate the implications for broader conservation strategies. Over a five-year survey covering 353.7 km of watercourses, 135 beaver families were identified, with an estimated population of 320–512 individuals. The dam dimensions showed strong correlations with the river slope, channel width, and wetness index. Predictive models based on LIDAR data achieved over 90% accuracy, outperforming SRTM-based models. The results reveal that topographic wetness, flow accumulation, and valley morphology are the strongest predictors of dam presence. These findings contribute to proactive beaver management strategies, highlighting areas of potential future expansion and offering data-driven guidance for balancing ecosystem restoration with human land use, contributing to the development of conservation strategies that balance ecosystem engineering by beavers with human land-use needs in Romania and across Europe. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-df33dbbfc10b44d8a4d7af63e1b4464f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2673-4133 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Ecologies |
| spelling | doaj-art-df33dbbfc10b44d8a4d7af63e1b4464f2025-08-20T02:24:42ZengMDPI AGEcologies2673-41332025-05-01623410.3390/ecologies6020034The Ecological Impacts and Modeling of the Beaver Dam Distribution: A Study on Habitat Characteristics and Environmental Factors in RomaniaAlexandru Gridan0Ovidiu Ionescu1Georgeta Ionescu2Ancuta Fedorca3Elena Ciocirlan4Claudiu Pașca5Darius Hardalau6Department of Wildlife, National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Drăcea”, 500040 Brasov, RomaniaDepartment of Wildlife, National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Drăcea”, 500040 Brasov, RomaniaDepartment of Wildlife, National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Drăcea”, 500040 Brasov, RomaniaDepartment of Wildlife, National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Drăcea”, 500040 Brasov, RomaniaSilviculture Department, Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, RomaniaDepartment of Wildlife, National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Drăcea”, 500040 Brasov, RomaniaSilviculture Department, Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, RomaniaBeavers (<i>Castor fiber</i> L.) are recognized as keystone ecological engineers who shape freshwater ecosystems by modifying hydrology, sediment dynamics, and biodiversity. Although beaver populations have recovered across Europe, including Romania, understanding the environmental factors driving their dam distribution remains limited. This study aimed to (i) characterize the physical and compositional features of beaver dams in the Râul Negru basin, Romania, (ii) model the environmental variables influencing the dam distribution using MaxEnt, and (iii) evaluate the implications for broader conservation strategies. Over a five-year survey covering 353.7 km of watercourses, 135 beaver families were identified, with an estimated population of 320–512 individuals. The dam dimensions showed strong correlations with the river slope, channel width, and wetness index. Predictive models based on LIDAR data achieved over 90% accuracy, outperforming SRTM-based models. The results reveal that topographic wetness, flow accumulation, and valley morphology are the strongest predictors of dam presence. These findings contribute to proactive beaver management strategies, highlighting areas of potential future expansion and offering data-driven guidance for balancing ecosystem restoration with human land use, contributing to the development of conservation strategies that balance ecosystem engineering by beavers with human land-use needs in Romania and across Europe.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4133/6/2/34Eurasian beaverdam distributionhabitat modeling |
| spellingShingle | Alexandru Gridan Ovidiu Ionescu Georgeta Ionescu Ancuta Fedorca Elena Ciocirlan Claudiu Pașca Darius Hardalau The Ecological Impacts and Modeling of the Beaver Dam Distribution: A Study on Habitat Characteristics and Environmental Factors in Romania Ecologies Eurasian beaver dam distribution habitat modeling |
| title | The Ecological Impacts and Modeling of the Beaver Dam Distribution: A Study on Habitat Characteristics and Environmental Factors in Romania |
| title_full | The Ecological Impacts and Modeling of the Beaver Dam Distribution: A Study on Habitat Characteristics and Environmental Factors in Romania |
| title_fullStr | The Ecological Impacts and Modeling of the Beaver Dam Distribution: A Study on Habitat Characteristics and Environmental Factors in Romania |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Ecological Impacts and Modeling of the Beaver Dam Distribution: A Study on Habitat Characteristics and Environmental Factors in Romania |
| title_short | The Ecological Impacts and Modeling of the Beaver Dam Distribution: A Study on Habitat Characteristics and Environmental Factors in Romania |
| title_sort | ecological impacts and modeling of the beaver dam distribution a study on habitat characteristics and environmental factors in romania |
| topic | Eurasian beaver dam distribution habitat modeling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4133/6/2/34 |
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