Evolution of woodcutting behaviour in Early Pliocene beaver driven by consumption of woody plants

• Published in: Scientific Reports
• Main Authors: Plint, T. (Tessa), Longstaffe, F.J. (Fred J.), Ballantyne, A. (Ashley), Telka, A. (Alice), Rybczynski, N. (Natalia)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Arctic; Ellesmere Island; Beaver Pond
• Online Access: https://ir.library.carleton.ca/pub/27561; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70164-1

Modern beavers (Castor) are prolific ecosystem engineers and dramatically alter the landscape through tree harvesting and dam building. Little is known, however, about the evolutionary drivers of their woodcutting behaviour. Here we investigate if early woodcutting behaviour in Castoridae was driven...