Habitat
Inhabits a wide variety of habitats, including grassy openings in forests, dense coniferous forests, moist meadows, shrub thickets, rocky mountain slopes and tundra, and around streams, lakes, and marshes (Banfield 1974, NatureServe 2007b). Occurs near forest-edges and cut or burned forest (NatureServe 2007b). On Chichagof Island associated with alder compared to conifer patches (Hanley 1996). On Prince of Wales, 7-10 year old stands of spruce – western hemlock forests were more productive for voles compared to other seral stages. Understory was more shrubby and there was a higher probability of occurrence in areas with low upper canopy cover and high lower canopy cover. Densities were also positively correlated with log and herb cover (Van Horne 1982). At higher elevations thought to occupy meadow habitats (Dalquest 1948, Findley et al. 1975, Jenkins 1948).
References
Banfield, A. W. F. 1974. The mammals of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada. 438 pp. Dalquest, W. W. 1948. Mammals of Washington. University of Kansas, Lawrence.
Findley, J. S., A. H. Harris, D. E. Wilson, and C. Jones. 1975. Mammals of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.
Hanley, T. A. 1996. Small mammals of even-aged, red alder – conifer forests in Southeastern Alaska. Canadian Field-Naturalist 110: 626-629.
Jenkins, H. O. 1948. A population study of the meadow mice (Microtus) in three Sierra Nevada meadows. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. (4th Ser.), 26: 43-67.
NatureServe. 2007b. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 6.2. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer.
Van Horne, B. 1982. Demography of the longtail vole Microtus longicaudus in seral stages of coastal coniferous forest southeast, Alaska. Canadian Journal of Zoology 60: 1690-1709.
