Beaver influences on the longterm biogeochemical characteristics of boreal forest drainage networks

To determine if beaver (Castor canadensis) affect biogeochemical cycles and the accumulation and distribution of chemical elements over time and space, aerial photograph analyses of beaver activities on the 298-km² Kabetogama Peninsula, Minnesota, were coupled with site-specific studies of soil and pore water concentrations of nutrients and other ions, nitrogen cycling processes, and biophysical environmental variables. Analyses of the results demonstrate that beaver influence the distribution, standing stocks, and availability of chemical elements by hydrologically induced alteration of biogeochemical pathways and by shifting element storage from forest vegetation to sediments and soils.