Biodiversity effects of beaver activity in a semi-natural enclosure revealed by eDNA

1. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is an emerging tool for biodiversity assessment in freshwater systems, offering high-resolution insights into community composition. Here, we apply eDNA metabarcoding to evaluate the ecological impacts of Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) activity within a semi-natural enclosure in the Scottish Highlands. 2. We collected seasonal water samples from nine sites, six influenced by beaver dams and three control sites with no evidence of beaver engineering, across a 40-hectare enclosure. Samples were analysed for vertebrate and macroinvertebrate diversity using established 12S and COI markers. 3. Vertebrate alpha diversity did not differ significantly betwee