The dam-building beaver may be an ally in conserving wetland habitat for declining amphibian populations, a University of Alberta study said.
The study identifies the beaver as a valuable "surrogate species" for frog and toad populations, said University of Alberta researchers Cam Stevens and Cindy Paszkowski in the January issue of Biological Conservation.
Surrogate species can indicate changes to the environment or can protect a large number of naturally co-occurring species.
"The concept of surrogate species in conservation planning offers simple, ecologically-based solutions to help conserve and manage ecosystems," said Paszkowski, a biological sciences professor at the university.
Beaver ponds appear to offer suitable breeding habitats for amphibians because of their warm, well-oxygenated water, which enhances development and growth rates of frog and toad larvae, she said. The ponds may be less inviting to predators because dams usually are on small streams where winterkill conditions are common.
Beavers may be useful as a surrogate species in helping to conserve frogs and toads in remote parts of western North America.
"The challenge will be to promote modest levels of beaver activity even where conflicts with human interests might occur," Stevens noted.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Related stories:
Newly identified role for 'power plants' in human cells could lead to targeted therapies
Scientists have determined that human cells are able to shift important gene products into their own mitochondria, considered the power plants of cells. The finding could eventually lead to therapies for dozens of diseases.
Humans have caused profound changes in Caribbean coral reefs
Coral reefs in the Caribbean have suffered significant changes due to the proximal effects of a growing human population, reports a study published in the
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B.
Green skies: Engineer's work may reduce jet travel's role in global warming
Princeton Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Fred Dryer has a lofty goal: end the nation's reliance on oil for jet travel.
First step to test tube rhinos
Scientists from the Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin, Germany, together with veterinarians from Australia, have performed a world first by harvesting egg cells from a black rhino for the purpose of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). The collected ova were matured in a test tube and were successfully fertilised with rhino sperm but they did not continue to grow into embryos. Nevertheless, the result is a major breakthrough.
Scientists Find Lamprey a 'Living Fossil' -- 360 Million-year-old Fish Hasn't Evolved Much
Scientists from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the University of Chicago have uncovered a remarkably well-preserved fossil lamprey from the Devonian period that reveals today’s lampreys as “living fossils” since they have remained largely unaltered for 360 million years.
Cloned mice created from fully differentiated cells, a milestone in cloning research
New research dismisses the notion that adult stem cells are necessary for successful animal cloning, proving instead that cells that have completely evolved to a specific type not only can be used for cloning purposes, but they may be a better and more efficient starting point. As proof, researchers report they created two mouse pups from a type of blood cell that itself is incapable of dividing to produce a second generation of its own kind.
Surrogacy still stigmatized, though attitudes changing among younger women
Although younger people are becoming more positive towards surrogate mothers, current day attitudes to surrogacy are still broadly negative, a scientist will tell the 24th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology tomorrow (Monday 7 July). Professor Olga van den Akker, from the Department of Psychology, Middlesex University, Hendon, London, UK, will say that previous stigmatisation of surrogate mothers in the media had added to the reluctance to undertake this treatment option.
Surrogate children are psychologically well: study
Children born to a surrogate mother or conceived through donated sperm or a donated egg do just as well psychologically as counterparts who are naturally conceived, a study unveiled on Sunday said.