The tundra vole ( Alexandromys oeconomus) or root vole is a medium-sized vole found in Northern Europe and Central Europe, Asia, and northwestern North America, including Alaska and northwestern Canada.
Description
The tundra vole has short ears and a short tail. Its fur is yellowish brown with paler sides and white underparts. It is typically about long with a tail and a weight of about .
The tundra vole displays sexual dimorphism, with males being noticeably larger than the females as adults.
Habitat
The tundra vole is found in damp
tundra or moist meadows, usually near water.
Behaviour and diet
This species makes runways through the surface growth in warm weather and tunnels through the snow in winter. It feeds on grasses, sedges and seeds. It is active year-round. It also digs burrows where it stores seeds and roots, especially
Hedysarum, for the winter.
Breeding
Female voles have three to six litters of three to nine young in a shallow burrow. The tundra vole has its highest fecundity during May and June, but can prolong its mating season all the way until winter.
Subspecies
Subspecies are as follows:
[Witte van den Bosch, R. and Bekker, D. (2009). Verdwijnt de oer-Hollandse lemming? Geschiedenis en toekomst van de noordse woelmuis. Zoogdier 20-4: p.p 3-7. (in Dutch)]
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A. o. amakensis - Amak Island tundra vole - Alaska, United States
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A. o. arenicola - Dutch tundra vole - Netherlands
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A. o. elymocetes - Montague Island tundra vole - Alaska, United States
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A. o. finmarchicus - Norwegian tundra vole - Norway
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A. o. innuitus - St. Lawrence Island tundra vole - Alaska, United States
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A. o. medius - Norwegian tundra vole - Norway
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A. o. mehelyi - Central European tundra vole - Austria, Hungary and Slovakia
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A. o. oeconomus - nominate subspecies - widespread
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A. o. popofensis - Shumagin Islands tundra vole - Alaska, United States
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A. o. punakensis - Punuk Islands tundra vole - Alaska, United States
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A. o. sitkensis - Alexander Archipelago tundra vole - Alaska, United States
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A. o. unalascensis - Unalaska Island tundra vole - Alaska, United States
Genetic variability
The large number of subspecies of
A. oeconomus is due to the changing environment that they have had to endure since the glacier/ice-age, as well as the isolation of populations.
Human interaction also greatly affects the environment of this species.
As a result, voles have lost genetic diversity as seen through a lessened heterozygous population for certain genes within separated populations.
[ Roads and structures do not necessarily limit species interaction, but it is the distances created between other communities of voles that limit gene flow.][
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