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Vegetative composition and community structure associated with beaver ponds in Canaan valley, West Virginia, USA

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Abstract

Beavers (Castor canadensis) can cause dramatic changes in vegetative composition and diversity. Although alterations by beaver have been studied extensively, little attention has been paid to the effects beaver impoundments have on rare plants. Effective conservation of riparian and wetland rare plant species must consider the responses of vegetation to changes in hydrology that can occur when beaver populations are present. The goal of this research was to establish the occurrence of locally rare plant species, examine community composition, and analyze vegetative community structure of vegetation associated with beaver ponds in Canaan Valley, West Virginia, USA. Species richness and diversity were similar between plots located inside beaver ponds and adjacent to beaver ponds (P > 0.05). Although no significant difference in rare plant species was detected among pond ages, the oldest ponds (>56 years) had twice as many rare species as the youngest ponds (≤6 years). The youngest ponds had higher overall mean species richness (S) than ponds 7–56 years old (P < 0.05), but S returned to similar levels in the oldest ponds. Of the 15 rare species observed, most were classified as obligate (9) or facultative wetland (4) species. The youngest ponds contained the fewest number of rare species. Multiple response permutation procedure (MRPP) analyses of community structure detected no relation between community composition and either pond age or size. However, both MRPP and non-metric multi-dimensional scaling showed proximity to pond was important in herbaceous community structure. Wetlands in beaver ponds also were shown to be distinct from adjacent wetland areas. Conservation of existing beaver populations is necessary so that the entire spectrum of pond ages is available for the maintenance of rare plant species and communities.

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Acknowledgments

Funding and logistical support for this project was provided by the Canaan Valley Institute, the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, the Regional Research Institute of West Virginia University, and the West Virginia University Division of Forestry and Natural Resources. We thank Dr. John Edwards and 2 anonymous referees for review of this manuscript. We appreciate the statistical guidance provided by the late Dr. George Seidel. We thank Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge for access to our study sites and support of this research. This is scientific article number 3017 of the West Virginia University Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

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Author notes

  1. Jerri L. Bonner

    Present address: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, P.O. Box 87, Rowland, NC, 28383, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 6125, Morgantown, WV, 26506-6125, USA

    Jerri L. Bonner, James T. Anderson, James S. Rentch & William N. Grafton

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  1. Jerri L. Bonner
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  2. James T. Anderson
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  3. James S. Rentch
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  4. William N. Grafton
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Correspondence to James T. Anderson.

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Bonner, J.L., Anderson, J.T., Rentch, J.S. et al. Vegetative composition and community structure associated with beaver ponds in Canaan valley, West Virginia, USA. Wetlands Ecol Manage 17, 543–554 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-009-9131-0

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