Authors: Larsen, Annegret;

Biota has long been shown to influence surface processes, but it has not been since recently that geoscience has taken a serious interest in understanding abiotic-biotic feedbacks. This is subject to the relatively new field of biogeomorphology, which has been expanding as a discipline, due to increased recognition of the often overlooked role that biology can play in geomorphic processes, as well as due to our increasing capacity to measure and quantify feedback between biological and geomorphological systems. Despite the recent advances, biogeomorphology has rarely been recognised in studies focusing on conservation and biodiversity. Here, I present results from a global data collection on the ecosystem effects of beavers (castor fiber, castor canadensis), demonstrating the usefulness of biogeomorphology in the conservation of riparian ecosystems. Beavers are one of the most influential mammalian ecosystem engineer, heavily modifying river corridor hydrology, geomorphology, nutrient cycling, and ecosystems mainly through the construction of dams, which impounds and diverts water flow, from which most other ecosystem feedbacks follow.