Beaver dam and cache composition: Are woody species used differently?

Abstract

We investigated the differential use of woody stems in the construction of beaver dams and caches in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. Studies examining foraging behavior, preference indices and energetic models for beavers are often based on counts of cut stems and therefore may prove biased if cut stems are used as construction material rather than food. Beaver preferentially used coniferous species and speckled alder in dam construction and preferentially used trembling aspen, beaked hazel, maple, and serviceberry as cache material. We suggest that differential use of construction and food material should be considered when diet choice, foraging behavior or energetics are examined for animals gathering construction material as well as food resources.