subnivean zone
Under-snow living space
The subnivean zone is the space between the ground and a blanket of snow.
Insulated from wind and extreme cold, this microhabitat allows small mammals like voles and shrews to remain active through winter, tunneling and foraging beneath the snowpack.
Researchers set traps in the subnivean zone to study winter rodent activity.
- lemmingSmall arctic rodent
- voleShort-tailed field rodent
- tunnel constructionMaking underground passages
- runwaysPaved aircraft paths
- thermal insulationMaterial preventing heat transfer
energy conservation · burrowing · snow depth · hibernation · food storage · shrews · sensory adaptation · moisture retention · snow · mice · habitat loss · camouflage · pounce · microclimate · weasel · ermine · nocturnal activity · tracks
- winter ecologyhibernation, migration, snowpack, permafrost, dormancy
- subniveansnowpack, snow layer, tunnels, runways, air pockets