biology

Tatra pine vole

Tatra pine 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 Tatra pine vole rather than just read about it. In short: The Tatra pine vole (Microtus tatricus), also called the Tatra vole or Tatra ground vole, is a species of vole endemic to the Carpathian mountain range in Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine and Romania. Two subspecies have been recognised.

Key takeaways

Tatra pine 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 Tatra pine vole to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tatra pine vole from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Tatra pine vole (Microtus tatricus), also called the Tatra vole or Tatra ground vole, is a species of vole endemic to the Carpathian mountain range in Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine and Romania. Two subspecies have been recognised. M. t. tatricus occupies the western part of the range in Slovakia and Poland, and M. t. zykovi is found in Ukraine and Romania.

Habitat preferences The Tatra vole lives at altitudes of 650 to 2350 m above sea level. The habitat occupied by the species is either humid rocky meadows in the subalpine zone or climax upper montane forest. Its distribution range is insular and fragmented as a consequence of landscape altitudinal structure and habitat heterogeneity. The population of the Tatra vole has been estimated to 200,000–250,000 individuals and no population fluctuation or population outbreaks were recorded.

Evolutionary history The reliable diagnostic character of M. tatricus is its karyotype. Its diploid number of chromosomes and the basic karyotype characteristics (2N = 32, NF = 46) are unique among voles of the genus Microtus. The species is genetically most closely related to alpine voles Microtus multiplex, Microtus liechtensteini and Microtus bavaricus. It split from the common ancestor as the first, and the oldest fossil found to date is from Holocene. The species is listed as Lower Risk/Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and in Appendix II of the Bern Convention.

References

Jurdíková N., Žiak D., Kocian Ľ. 2000. Habitat requirements of Microtus tatricus: microhabitat and macrohabitat. Výskum a ochrana cicavcov na Slovensku 4, 41–49. Martínková N., Dudich A. 2003. The fragmented distribution range of Microtus tatricus and its evolutionary implications. Folia Zoologica 52, 11–22. Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 in Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tatra pine vole

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tatra pine 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 Tatra pine 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 Tatra pine 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 Tatra pine vole

In research: Tatra pine 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 Tatra pine 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: Tatra pine vole is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Habitats Directive species, IUCN Red List least concern species, Mammals described in 1952, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tatra pine 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 Tatra pine vole in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tatra pine 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 Tatra pine vole out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tatra pine vole in simple terms?

Why does Tatra pine 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 Tatra pine 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 Tatra pine vole.