Study: Wolves Affect Wetlands by Killing Beavers

A new study found that wolves preying on beavers affect the ecosystems of wetlands, areas where water covers the soil. Beavers are often called the “ecosystem engineers” because they build and maintain dams and ponds that are instrumental in storing water and creating new homes for plants, insects, and other animals. Younger beavers leave their families to create ponds. However, this is often interrupted when wolves kill the younger beavers. Because of this, researchers went to find out what impact the wolves have on wetland ecosystems. For four years, biologists monitored the movements of 32 wolves at Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota. They visited sites where the wolves lingered for some time and examined what animals they preyed on. They also inspected nearby dams, which were newly abandoned by beavers. After extensive research, the biologists estimated that the wolves interrupted the creation of 88 ponds each year, which could store around 51 million gallons of water in the Voyageurs park ecosystem. Additionally, findings showed that once a wolf preyed on a beaver, it took more than a year for another beaver to return to the abandoned dam. This greatly affects Minnesota’s wetland ecosystems because dams built by beavers quickly deteriorate without the animals to maintain them. The researchers note that this phenomenon might not be limited to Minnesota since wolves and beavers coexist around the world. Because of this, further studies are needed to better understand the value of predators and the long-term effects of wolf predation on wetlands.