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Beavers (Castor canadensis) have not been adequately included in critical zone research, yet they can affect multiple critical zone processes across the terrestrial-aquatic interface of river corridors. River corridors (RC) provide a disproportionate amount of ecosystem services. Over time, beaver activity, including submersion of woody vegetation, burrowing, dam building, and abandonment, can impact critical zone processes in the river corridor by influencing landscape evolution, biodiversity, geomorphology, hydrology, primary productivity, and biogeochemical cycling. In particular, they can effectively restore degraded riparian areas and improve water quality and quantity, causing implications for many important ecosystem services. Beaver-mediated river corridor processes in the context of a changing climate require investigation to determine how both river corridor function and critical zone processes will shift in the future. Recent calls to advance river corridor research by leveraging a critical zone perspective can be strengthened through the explicit incorporation of animals, such as beavers, into research projects over space and time. This article illustrates how beavers modify the critical zone across different spatiotemporal scales, presents research opportunities to elucidate the role of beavers in influencing Western U.S. ecosystems, and, more broadly, demonstrates the importance of integrating animals into critical zone science. 

Critical Zone (CZ) science investigates the interconnected processes occurring from the top of the vegetation canopy to the base of the groundwater. Recognizing the need to foster cross- disciplinary collaboration among early-career researchers (ECRs), graduate students organized two workshops in 2024 and 2025 aimed at building community, sharing research approaches, and discussing the future of CZ science. These workshops brought together participants from diverse disciplines, institutions, and career stages, and included research talks, structured discussions, and community-building activities. Survey results demonstrated increased confidence in cross-disciplinary collaboration and highlighted the value of supportive, in-person settings for networking and broadening scientific perspectives. Recommendations include expanding support for small, ECR-focused workshops and prioritizing institutional structures that sustain collaborative, transdisciplinary CZ research. 

Abstract Ice thaw and enhanced bedrock weathering are increasing sulfate export in alpine streams, which may change sulfur (S) and other biogeochemical cycles in adjacent wetlands. We compared S and carbon (C) concentrations and sulfate reduction rates (SRRs) across three wetland types in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA: snowmelt‐fed wetlands (SFWs), periglacial solifluction lobes (PSLs), and subalpine wetlands (SAWs). We found that each wetland type had unique biogeochemical characteristics. Subalpine wetlands had the highest soil C (37.2 ± 8.7%C) and SRRs (29.3 ± 21 nmol mL⁻¹ soil day⁻¹) compared with SFWs and PSLs, which had lower %C and moderate to low SRRs, respectively. Subalpine wetlands accumulated little sulfate, whereas PSLs had high concentrations (0.04 ± 0.04 vs. 0.6 ± 1.4 mg S g⁻¹ dry soil respectively); SFWs had low sulfate concentrations (0.02 ± 0.01 mg S g⁻¹ dry soil). Sulfate‐S stable isotope data suggest different sources of S in the SFWs and PSLs: atmospheric and geologic, respectively. The data indicate that high C supports high SRRs in SAWs, whereas SRRs may be C‐limited and co‐limited by C and S in PSLs and SFWs, respectively. With climate warming, SAWs have the greatest potential to release more C to the atmosphere, SFWs will likely decrease in size and experience changes in plant community composition, and PSLs may be sources of acid rock drainage. These data demonstrate different biogeochemical fates of S and C in three wetland types present across alpine landscapes, and notable consequences for biogeochemical cycling as warming continues. 

Abstract Critical Zone (CZ) scientists have advanced understanding of Earth's surface through process‐based research that quantifies water, energy, and mass fluxes in predominantly undisturbed systems. However, the CZ is being increasingly altered by humans through climate and land use change. Expanding the scope of CZ science to include both human‐ and non‐human controls on the CZ is important for understanding anthropogenic impacts to Earth's surface processes and ecosystem services. Here, we share perspectives from predominantly U.S.‐based, early career CZ scientists centered around broadening the scope of CZ science to focus on societally relevant science through a transdisciplinary science framework. We call for increased training on transdisciplinary methods and collaboration opportunities across disciplines and with stakeholders to foster a scientific community that values transdisciplinary science alongside physical science. Here, we build on existing transdisciplinary research frameworks by highlighting the need for institutional support to include and educate graduate students throughout the research processes. We also call for graduate‐student‐led initiatives to increase their own exposure to transdisciplinary science through activities such as transdisciplinary‐focused seminars and symposiums, volunteering with local conservation groups, and participating in internships outside academia.