Origin of the invasive North American beaver (Castor canadensis) sampled in Western Europe

Lise-Marie Pigneur; Damien Gailly; Benoit Manet; Jan Herr; Laurent Schley; Steffi Venske; Yoann Bressan; Johan Michaux

doi:10.26496/bjz.2024.181

Authors

Lise-Marie Pigneur Université de Liège, Laboratoire de Génétique de la Conservation (GECOLAB), B-4000 Liège, Belgium
Damien Gailly Université de Liège, Laboratoire de Génétique de la Conservation (GECOLAB), B-4000 Liège, Belgium
Benoit Manet Service Public de Wallonie, Département de l’Etude du Milieu Naturel et Agricole (DEMNA), avenue Maréchal Juin 23, B-5030 Gembloux
Jan Herr Administration de la nature et des forêts, Arrondissement Sud, 40 rue de la Gare, L-3377 Leudelange, Luxembourg
Laurent Schley Administration de la nature et des forêts, Direction, 81 avenue de la Gare, L-9233 Diekirch, Luxembourg
Steffi Venske Biberzentrum Rheinland-Pfalz der GNOR e.V., Osteinstr. 7–9, D-55118 Mainz, Germany
Yoann Bressan Office français de la biodiversité (OFB), Direction de la recherche et de l’appui scientifique, Montfort, F-01330 Birieux, France
Johan Michaux Université de Liège, Laboratoire de Génétique de la Conservation (GECOLAB), B-4000 Liège, Belgium AND Animal Santé Territoire Risque Environnement- Unité Mixe de Recherche 117 (ASTRE) Univ. Montpellier, Centre International de Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, F-34398 Montpellier, France

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2024.181

Keywords:

North American beaver, invasive species, genetics, population structure, microsatellites, Eurasian beaver

Abstract

The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) has been present in Western Europe since 2006. Its occurrence has been recorded in Luxembourg, Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany) and Wallonia (Belgium). As Castor canadensis is a direct competitor of the Eurasian beaver, it is classified as an invasive species due to ecological niche overlap, with a notably higher reproduction rate. Its colonization is therefore a significant threat for native Eurasian beavers and its populations should be eradicated. The origin of the North American beaver populations in Western Europe is also still unknown. The present study aimed at investigating the genetic structure and the putative origin of C. canadensis individuals collected in Western Europe. To achieve this goal, we compared their genetic characteristics with those of individuals coming from Finland, the USA and from the German zoo of Lünebach (Eifel). Our results revealed that all the individuals sampled in Western Europe show close relationships and belong to the same genetic cluster. Given their genetic link to the Eifel zoo beavers, the hypothesis of this zoo being the origin of wild C. canadensis populations in Western Europe seems the most probable. As no North American beavers have been detected in France, we can also conclude that the eradication measures implemented in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany since 2006 seem to have been relatively efficient, thus preventing the spread of this species to other countries. However, future monitoring still has to be performed in order to confirm the total eradication of this invasive species in Western Europe.

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