biology

Gull Island vole

Gull Island vole is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Gull Island vole rather than just read about it. In short: The Gull Island vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus nesophilus) is an extinct subspecies of the meadow vole that was endemic to Great Gull and Little Gull Islands in New York. Extinction A ground-dwelling coastal beach grass herbivore, it presumably disappeared after habitat destruction of sand dunes for naval fortifications in August 1898 for the Spanish–American War, only 9 or 10 years after its discovery in 1888.

Key takeaways

Gull Island vole belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Gull Island vole to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Gull Island vole from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Gull Island vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus nesophilus) is an extinct subspecies of the meadow vole that was endemic to Great Gull and Little Gull Islands in New York.

Extinction A ground-dwelling coastal beach grass herbivore, it presumably disappeared after habitat destruction of sand dunes for naval fortifications in August 1898 for the Spanish–American War, only 9 or 10 years after its discovery in 1888. It was last seen in 1897. Predation by feral cats was also partly responsible in its decline. It is known from fifteen specimens in Washington, D.C.

References

External links Extinction: Gull Island Vole UWSP GEOG358 (Heywood)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gull Island vole

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gull Island vole claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Gull Island vole before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Gull Island vole ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Gull Island vole

In research: Gull Island vole appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Gull Island vole in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Gull Island vole is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Endemic rodents of the United States, Extinct animals of the United States, Extinct rodents, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gull Island vole outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Gull Island vole in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Gull Island vole means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Gull Island vole out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gull Island vole in simple terms?

The Gull Island vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus nesophilus) is an extinct subspecies of the meadow vole that was endemic to Great Gull and Little Gull Islands in New York. Extinction A ground-dwelling coastal beach grass herbivore, it presumably disappeared after habitat destruction of sand dunes for…

Why does Gull Island vole matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Gull Island vole?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Gull Island vole.