Data and R code from: Relics of beavers past: time and population density drive scale-dependent patterns of ecosystem engineering

Like many ecological processes, natural disturbances exhibit scale-dependent dynamics that are largely a function of the magnitude, frequency, and scale at which they are assessed. Ecosystem engineers create patch-scale disturbances that affect ecological processes, yet we know little about how these effects scale across space or vary through time. Here, we investigate how patch disturbances by beavers (Castor canadensis), ecosystem engineers renowned for their pond-creation behavior, affect ecological processes across space and time. We evaluated how beaver population recovery influenced surface water dynamics in relation to population density over 70 years across multiple spatial scales (pond, watershed, and regional) in northern Minnesota. Surface water area was positively related to population density at the watershed scale; however, despite variation in beaver densities (and therefore surface water area) at the watershed scale, regional-scale surface water area was stable through t...与诸多生态过程相仿，自然干扰具备尺度依赖性的动态特征，其表现很大程度上取决于干扰的强度、发生频率以及评估所采用的尺度。生态系统工程师（Ecosystem Engineers）会营造出影响生态过程的斑块尺度干扰，但目前学界对这类干扰效应如何随空间尺度拓展而变化，或是随时间推移产生差异仍知之甚少。本研究针对以造塘行为闻名的生态系统工程师——美洲河狸（Castor canadensis）所引发的斑块尺度干扰，探究其在时空维度上对生态过程的影响。我们以明尼苏达州北部为研究区域，在70年的时间跨度内，从池塘（pond）、流域（watershed）与区域（regional）三个空间尺度，评估了海狸种群恢复过程如何通过种群密度调控地表水动态。在流域尺度上，地表水面积与海狸种群密度呈显著正相关；然而尽管流域尺度下的海狸种群密度（及其对应的地表水面积）存在波动，区域尺度的地表水面积在整个t……（原文未完结）时段内始终保持稳定。