I thought I had read every “Beavers are ruining the artic” article I needed to until I stumbled upon this piece which seems to combat them all and still be afraid of its own shadow.

Research shows beavers are remaking microbial ecosystems in the Arctic

As the Arctic has warmed and beaver populations have rebounded, the animal architects known for greatly modifying their natural environments have moved to higher and higher latitudes. Now, researchers show that beaver-instigated alterations translate all the way to the microscopic level, reshaping microbial communities in Arctic waterways. The work is published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences.

The team’s analysis turned up some surprises. For example, the researchers found that the beaver ponds contained low levels of archaea that produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas. In contrast, previous research suggested that beaver activity can increase microbial methane production, leading the team to hypothesize that the sampled beaver ponds may be young and may become more methanogenic as they age.

Hmmm less methane. But our researchers have all read that beavers cause MORE methane so their findings must be wrong for some reason. We can only speculate as to why.

The increasingly plant rich environments will likely capture more carbon, helping to mitigate carbon emissions from the environment, but in the long run, those gains may be offset by carbon released as microbes break down the vegetation. Also, the standing water that occurs when beavers make dams may hasten permafrost thaw, potentially stimulating microbial growth.

I think these researches are looking nervously at their findings and saying “wow this can’t be right professor. it implies that beavers are GOOD and we all know that they’re bad.”

And the professor offers sagely offers his advice:

“Hedge your bets and defer to existing research.”

and they do.

Beaver-induced changes at the microbial level may result in ecosystem-scale shifts, the researchers note, although it’s too early to tell exactly how the animals will affect northern Alaska as the climate changes. Beaver dams favor microbes that promote plant growth, and as vegetation moves farther north in the Arctic, beavers will surely follow.