Vol. 13 No. 1 (2022)

Microtus oeconomus, the tundra or root vole, is one of only four Holarctic rodents and the only species of Microtus found in tundra and taiga, grass and sedge communities on all northern continents. It has the northernmost distribution of any Microtus species in North America, with occurrences to 71° N in Alaska. Tundra vole populations often fluctuate in 3 to 4 year cycles throughout its range, but it is uncertain how climate change will affect its dynamics. It is an important prey item for avian and mammalian predators in northern ecosystems (Photo from Qikiqtaryuk Territorial Park (Herschel Island), Yukon, courtesy of Alice J. Kenney).