Tundra be dammed: Beaver colonization of the Arctic (Science for Alaska Lecture Series)
January 26, 2018
The UAF Geophysical Institute presents the 2018 Science for Alaska Lecture Series.Come to the Raven Landing Center at 1222 Cowles Street on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. to learn about exciting science from a history of Alaska weather to how beavers are colonizing the Arctic, and more.
This week, on Jan. 30, Ken Tape will present "Tundra be dammed: Beaver colonization of the Arctic."
Increasing air temperatures are changing the Arctic tundra. Permafrost is thawing, snow duration is decreasing, shrubs are proliferating and beavers are colonizing the tundra of northwest Alaska. Beaver ponds are warming stream water and thawing permafrost, while impacts to fish and stream biology are unknown. Beavers create dynamic wetlands and are agents of disturbance that appear to be enhancing the ecological responses to warming in the Arctic. In this talk, Tape will discuss patterns of tundra beaver colonization and consider how this ecosystem engineer might reshape stream and riparian ecosystems.
For more information visit www.gi.alaska.edu/science-alaska-lecture-series/ or GI's Facebook page.