Beaver dams shift desert fish assemblages toward dominance by non-native species (Verde River, Arizona, USA)

Abstract

The reintroduction of beaver (Castor canadensis) into arid and semi-arid rivers is receiving increasing management and conservation attention in recent years, yet very little is known about native vs. non-native fish occupancy in beaver pond habitats. Streams of the American Southwest support a highly endemic, highly endangered native fish fauna and abundant non-native fishes, and here we investigated the hypothesis that beaver ponds in this region may lead to fish assemblages dominated by non-native species.

We sampled fish assemblages within beaver ponds and within unimpounded stream reaches in the mainstem and in tributaries of the free-flowing upper Verde River, central Arizona. Non-native fishes consistently outnumbered native species, and this dominance was greater in pond than in stream assemblages. Few native species were recorded within ponds.

Multivariate analysis indicated that fish assemblages in beaver ponds were distinct from those in stream reaches, in both mainstem and tributary locations. Individual species driving this distinction included abundant non-native green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) and western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) in pond sites, and native desert sucker (Catostomus clarkii) in streams. Overall, this study provides the first evidence that, relative to unimpounded stream habitat, beaver ponds in the Verde River basin support abundant small-bodied non-native fishes, which could have negative impacts on co-occurring native fish populations.