Paper

Ancient sedimentary DNA shows more than 5000 years of continuous beaver occupancy in Grand Teton National Park

Fairfax, Emily, Baker, D. Nevé, Crump, Sarah E., Larsen, Darren J., Muscott, Amelia P., Shapiro, Beth

2024

Overview

Beaver-based restoration is emerging as a cost-effective conservation and climate adaptation strategy, but efforts are constrained by limited knowledge of pre-colonial beaver distribution and their long-term ecosystem impacts. Here, we apply sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) techniques to investigate the history of beaver occupancy at three lakes in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming over the last ∼10 ka, as well as interactions with the local plant community. We documented a dynamic history of beaver presence in two sub-alpine lakes (Taggart and Jenny Lakes) and demonstrate no history of beaver occupancy at the higher-elevation alpine lake (Lake Solitude). Beavers were first detected at Jenny Lake around 7.2 ka and intermittently thereafter. At nearby Taggart Lake, beavers were first detected at ∼5.9 ka and continuously from 5.2 ka onwards. Vegetation metabarcoding revealed a shift in plant community coinciding with beaver establishment in these two sub-alpine lakes, as well as an increase in taxonomic diversity. These changes coincide with regional trends towards wetter conditions. Notably, beavers persist at Taggart Lake during inferred droughts, indicating a potential role in maintaining wetlands through extended periods of climatic stress. Our results demonstrate sedaDNA as a powerful, novel technique for reconstructing past beaver occupancy dynamics.

• Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
• Subject: Ecology