A detailed look at the preferred food and shelter of muskrats provided through a new University of Alberta study could help an animal that is considered both a beneficial and invasive species.
"Muskrats are a key species important to freshwater ecosystems across North America, so understanding how they use their environment is critical to their management," says Glynnis Hood, professor emerita at Augustana Campus and a co-author on the research.
The water-loving rodent provides ecological benefits in its native North American territory, such as feeding on invasive types of cattails that can choke out other plants, and also holds cultural importance for Indigenous communities, she notes.
