Eurasian Beavers Castor fiber (referred to hereafter as Beavers) were extirpated from the UK during the 16th century (Raye 2015), but more recently have been widely reintroduced, partly in efforts to promote natural flood management (Forbes et al. 2015). These animals are renowned for their ecosystem engineering abilities, having a significant influence on river corridor structure, vegetation, geomorphology, nutrient cycling and the storage of water on floodplains (Campbell-Palmer et al. 2015).
The impacts of Beaves of various taxonomic groups including bats, amphibians and macro-invertebrates have been examined in previous studies. Less well known, however, is the impact of dam-building and foraging on terrestrial invertebrates in riparian habitats. In this article, Tim Gardiner and Emily crisp report on the findings of a new stud on Orthoptera and other invertebrates at Spains Hall Estate in Finchingfield, Essex.