Influence of beaver mimicry restoration on habitat availability for fishes, including Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) ...

• Main Author: Albertson, Lindsey
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2022
• Subjects: FOS Earth and related environmental sciences; Arctic; Arctic grayling; Thymallus arcticus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.47d7wm3fq; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.47d7wm3fq

Beaver-dam-mimicry is an emergent conservation practice. We evaluated the influence of constructed riffles, a unique type of beaver mimicry aimed to store water and allow fish passage, on habitat for fishes in one control reach and one manipulated reach with mimicry structures added. The beaver mimicry reach had deeper pool habitats and deeper and wider riffle habitats compared to an unmanipulated control reach. Dissolved oxygen was similar among reaches, averaging 8.7 ± 0.2 and 8.9 mg/L in the beaver mimicry and control reaches, respectively. Sediment size was also similar among reaches, with a D50 of 8.1 and 10.6 mm in the beaver mimicry and control reaches, respectively. The beaver mimicry reach had little to no overhanging bank vegetation or riparian vegetation shade cover, while the control had 38% of its bank covered by canopy and 56% overhung by vegetation. These riparian characteristics result from a legacy of livestock grazing and lack of consistent vegetation planting during restoration. Longnose ...