Terrestrial wildlife species are important yet often overlooked taxa in the recovery of ecosystems following dam removal. Their presence can shape ecosystem recovery, signal restoration of ecosystem function, and influence food web dynamics and nutrient transfer. We used camera traps to examine seasonal use of two former reservoir beds and an upstream reference reach by the mammalian community following the removal of two large dams on the Elwha River, Washington, USA. For certain taxa, we compared current species use to data collected prior to dam removal. Camera traps revealed use by at least fifteen mammal species, including but not limited to American black bear (Ursus americanus), Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus), Roosevelt elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti), puma (Puma concolor), coyotes (Canis latrans), bobcats (Lynx rufus), and snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus). Coyotes were found mostly lower in the watershed outside the Olympic National Park boundary, while other species were distributed throughout the restoration area. We did not see major differences in species composition between the restoration areas and the upstream reference reach, though number of detections across study reaches differed for most species. Unlike previous findings, black bears were observed across all seasons in this study, suggesting a shift in seasonal use since dam removal. Full restoration of the terrestrial wildlife community could take decades to unfold, but early patterns demonstrate rapid establishment and use by wildlife on new riparian surfaces that are expected to continue to evolve with restoration of fish and vegetation communities.

中文翻译：

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美国华盛顿州埃尔瓦河大坝拆除后，陆地哺乳动物在前水库床上定居

陆地野生动物物种在大坝拆除后生态系统的恢复中很重要，但经常被忽视。它们的存在可以影响生态系统的恢复，标志着生态系统功能的恢复，并影响食物网动态和养分转移。在美国华盛顿州埃尔瓦河上的两座大型水坝被拆除后，我们使用相机陷阱来检查两个前水库的季节性使用以及哺乳动物群落的上游参考河段。对于某些类群，我们将当前物种的使用与大坝拆除之前收集的数据进行了比较。相机陷阱揭示了至少十五种哺乳动物的使用，包括但不限于美洲黑熊（美洲熊）、哥伦比亚黑尾鹿（哥伦比亚半侧小蠊）、罗斯福麋鹿（马鹿）、美洲狮（美洲狮）、郊狼（犬）、山猫队（山猫）和雪鞋野兔（美洲兔）。土狼大多出现在奥林匹克国家公园边界外的流域较低的地方，而其他物种则分布在整个恢复区域。尽管大多数物种在研究河段中的检测数量有所不同，但我们没有发现恢复区域和上游参考河段之间的物种组成存在重大差异。与之前的发现不同，这项研究在所有季节都观察到了黑熊，这表明自大坝拆除以来季节性使用发生了变化。陆地野生动物群落的全面恢复可能需要几十年的时间才能展开，但早期模式表明野生动物在新的河岸表面快速建立和利用，预计这些河岸表面将随着鱼类和植被群落的恢复而继续发展。