Determination of landscape-level impact and habitat factors of invasive beaver distribution in Tierra del Fuego

JONATHAN J. HENN; GUILLERMO MARTINEZ PASTUR; CHRISTOPHER B. ANDERSON

Congreso; 100 Meeting of the Ecological Society of America; 2015

Invasive beavers in Tierra del Fuego are a research and management priority. However, important baseline information is lacking, including understanding the extent and distribution of their impacts at the landscape scale. Using Google Earth© images, we classified land cover in 175 1.5 km plots evenly distributed throughout the Argentine side of Tierra del Fuego. In each plot we mapped any signs of beaver impact in the form of flooding caused bydamming and forest cut for foraging. Estimates of impact upon each land cover class and ecoregion of the island were calculated based on these maps.Finally, spatial distribution of beavers was analyzed using join count analysis and Moran's I, while a logistic regression model was fit using environmental variables including vegetation cover, forest type, stream characteristics, and topography to predict beaver occurrence across the island.