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Beaver population fluctuations and tropospheric methane emissions in boreal wetlands

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Abstract

Measurements of net methane flux were made during the 1988 ice-free season (May–October) at a beaver-meadow complex in northern Minnesota, USA. The site included upland boreal forest, sedge meadow, submerged aquatic plants, and the open water of a beaver pond. Annual fluxes were 8–11 g C/m2 in the permanently wetted zones and 0.2–0.4 g C/m2 at the occasionally inundated meadow and forest sites. These data, when coupled with long-term (46 yr) data on beaver (Castor canadensis) population size and habitat alteration, suggest that about 1% of the recent rise in atmospheric methane may be attributable to pond creation by beaver in North America.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Streamside Studies, AR-10, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Robert J. Naiman

  2. Center for Water and the Environment, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN, 55811, USA

    Thomas Manning & Carol A. Johnston

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  1. Robert J. Naiman
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  2. Thomas Manning
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  3. Carol A. Johnston
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Naiman, R.J., Manning, T. & Johnston, C.A. Beaver population fluctuations and tropospheric methane emissions in boreal wetlands. Biogeochemistry 12, 1–15 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002623

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