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Bank voles (Myodes glareolus syn. Clethrionomys glareolus) are frequently used as an animal model in ecological and biomedical studies and are an important reservoir of viral and bacterial zoonotic pathogens, e.g., Puumala hantavirus (PUUV). Here we describe an accidental PUUV outbreak in a large bank vole laboratory colony caused by an accidental introduction of infected wild-trapped bank voles, and the successful eradication of the virus. The eradication plan was based on results of previous studies showing that maternal antibodies (MatAb) protect the young from infection for up to 40 days after weaning, four weeks longer than the estimated duration of PUUV infectivity in the environment. After ensuring that most animals were infected, 620 pairs were mated on the same day. Only females that showed PUUV-specific antibodies and produced offspring within 26 days after mating were retained. All individuals of the parental generation were euthanized before the last weaning. The weaned offspring were moved to individually ventilated cages (IVC) and repeatedly tested for the presence of PUUV-specific antibodies and RNA. A few infected or suspect animals were euthanized. The animals were then mated (in IVC) and, after producing grand-offspring generation, euthanized and tested for PUUV RNA in the lungs. No PUUV RNA was detected, and no animals showed PUUV-specific antibodies in subsequent generations. The successful clearance confirmed the protective efficiency of PUUV-specific MatAb. The procedure for PUUV clearance in the bank vole colony may represent a blueprint for similar approaches in valuable colonies of other rodents infected by similar pathogens.

The pace-of-life syndrome describes covariation between life-history, behavioral and physiological traits; while, the emerging behavioral–bioenergetics theory proposes mechanistic links between those traits in a spatial–ecological context. However, little is known about the association between the limits to metabolic rate and spatial performance (i.e., mobility, home range size) in free-living individuals. Here we show, for the first time at the intra-specific level, that mobility traits increased with the aerobic exercise capacity (VO₂max) in a wild rodent, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus): VO₂max affected directly the movement intensity, which in turn affected home ranges. The results show that evolution of high VO₂max could be driven by selection for spatial performance traits, and corroborate one of the key assumptions of the behavioral–bioenergetics theory. However, the minimum maintenance metabolism, measured as the basal metabolic rate (BMR), was not correlated with movement intensity, and the direction of the BMR–home range correlation tended to change with age of the voles. The latter result indicates that testing the theory will be particularly challenging.

Because obesity and related diseases are partly attributed to unrestricted consumption of a high‐fat, high‐sugar Western diet (WD), several studies have examined its adverse effects on health and physical fitness. However, short‐term WD supplementation has received little attention. We asked whether such supplementation can improve the aerobic exercise performance of animals with inherently distinct aerobic capacity. We used bank voles [ Clethrionomys (=  Myodes ) glareolus ] from lines selected for high swim‐induced aerobic metabolism (A) and unselected control lines (C). In a crossover design, we measured endurance running distance, aerobic capacity (), peak speed ( V max ) and respiratory exchange ratio in 98 animals fed standard rodent diet (14.5 kJ/g) or WD (20.5 kJ/g; 48% from carbohydrates, including 28% from added sucrose, and 39% from fat) for 2 days before the trials. The , V max and endurance distance were higher in A lines than in C lines. In A lines, endurance distance increased with V max but not with , whereas in C lines it increased more with than with V max . The WD treatment resulted in increased body mass ( p  = 0.006) and did not affect ( p  = 0.4), but tended to decrease V max ( p  = 0.04), endurance distance ( p  = 0.099), mass loss during the trials ( p  = 0.008) and, in A lines only, the respiratory exchange ratio ( p  = 0.02). These results show that the selection experiment provides a model of genetically distinct aerobic athletes and non‐athletes, in whom exercise performance appears to be limited by different mechanisms. Regardless of the genetic background, short‐term WD supplementation does not improve aerobic exercise performance and reduces the effectiveness of exercise as a method of weight loss. What is the central question of this study? We asked whether short‐term consumption of a high‐fat, high‐sugar Western diet (WD) can improve the aerobic exercise performance of animals representing a model of genetically distinct ‘aerobic athletes’ and ‘non‐athletes’, i.e., lines of bank voles from an artificial selection experiment. What is the main finding and its importance? Regardless of genetic background, WD provided before exercise did not increase the maximum aerobic exercise metabolism, reduced forced treadmill running endurance and decreased mass loss during exercise. WD consumption before exercise is not a promising exercise enhancer, and it decreases the effectiveness of exercise in combating obesity.

An adequate stress response plays a vital role in coping with challenges. However, if selection for improved coping with an acute challenge affects the entire stress response system, susceptibility to adverse effects of chronic stressors can be deepened. Here, we used bank voles from lines selected for high swim-induced aerobic metabolism (A) and unselected control (C), and asked if the selection affected sensitivity to chronic mild stress (CMS). The voles were first habituated to daily weighing and feces collection for three weeks, and then for two weeks were exposed to CMS or remained undisturbed. The habituation itself resulted in an increased swim-induced oxygen consumption in both line types, and a decreased body mass. The CMS treatment caused reduction of food consumption in the second week of the experiment, and, in males, a decline in the metabolic rate. Paradoxically, fecal corticosterone metabolites decreased in the CMS-treated group. The response to CMS did not differ between the line types. Thus, the selection for increased performance was not traded off by increased vulnerability to chronic stress. The counter-intuitive results may even lead to a speculation that bank voles—and perhaps also other animals—prefer experiencing unpredictable, unpleasant stressors over the monotony of standard laboratory housing.

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is a fundamental energetic trait and has been measured in hundreds of birds and mammals. Nevertheless, little is known about the consistency of the population-average BMR or its repeatability at the level of individual variation. Here, we report that average mass-independent BMR did not differ between two generations of bank voles or between two trials separated by one month. Individual differences in BMR were highly repeatable across the one month interval: the coefficient of intraclass correlation was 0.70 for absolute log-transformed values and 0.56 for mass-independent values. Thus, BMR can be a meaningful measure of an individual physiological characteristic and can be used to test hypotheses concerning relationships between BMR and other traits. On the other hand, mass-independent BMR did not differ significantly across families, and the coefficient of intraclass correlation for full sibs did not differ from zero, which suggests that heritability of BMR in voles is not high.

Rodents constitute a significant proportion of mammalian diversity, with their adaptability and wide distribution making them indispensable study organisms across various biological disciplines. While the laboratory mouse remains a predominant model rodent, the bank vole ( Clethrionomys glareolus ) offers a unique perspective as a wild rodent within the large subfamily Arvicolinae. Recognized for its relevance to studynatural ecology, the bank vole provides insights into complex ecological interactions, evolutionary adaptations, and disease dynamics. Despite recent recognition of its importance in specific research areas, there is a lack of a comprehensive and up-to-date exploration of its role as a model organism. This review addresses this gap by offering a holistic examination of the bank vole’s applications in ecology, evolution, biogeography, disease dynamics, and host–pathogen interactions. We emphasize novel insights into genetic variation, adaptation to climate change, population dynamics, experimental evolution, host-parasite co-evolution, and disease dynamics studies. By consolidating diverse research findings, this review provides a unique and comprehensive perspective on the bank vole’s contributions to understanding ecology and evolution, underscoring its importance as a model organism in shaping future biological research.

1. Because energy is a crucial resource, adaptive significance of variation in the rate of energy metabolism, and especially in basal (BMR) and maximum aerobic (VO₂max) metabolic rates, is a popular theme in evolutionary and ecological physiology. However, little is known about the association of these traits with fitness components in populations of free‐living animals. 2. We studied the association between body size, the metabolic rates, and reproductive success in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) in an isolated, small island population. Correlation analyses were performed for two measures of reproductive performance: mating success (the number of partners with which an individual had any offspring), and overall reproductive success (the number of offspring trapped in the field, calculated for all individuals, including those with no offspring). 3. Direction of the selection on metabolic traits varied between sexes and over time, which could contribute to maintaining a high additive genetic variance of the traits. 4. Mating success and overall reproductive success of males were positively correlated with body size (head width), but not with mass‐independent VO₂max. The latter result undermines the hypothesis that evolution of high aerobic capacity could be driven by a selection for traits important in male competition. 5. Overall reproductive success was positively correlated with basal metabolic rate. The result corroborates the hypothesis that high BMR and endothermy in mammals could evolve as consequences of intensive parental care evolution. However, the generality of such a correlation remains uncertain and warrants further research.

1. Many studies have been performed in an attempt to explain physiological, ecological and evolutionary factors behind inter- and intraspecific variation in basal metabolic rate (BMR) and maximum aerobic metabolic rate (VO₂max). However, very little is known about the association between the traits and fitness components in populations of free-living animals. 2. We studied the association between body size and the metabolic rates of bank voles Myodes (= Clethrionomys) glareolus and their survival, measured by repeated trappings across 2 years in an isolated, island population. All measured traits (body mass, BM; head width, HW; VO₂max and BMR) were significantly repeatable over short (mean 5·4 days) and long (mean 56·4 days) intervals. 3. Logistic regression analyses showed no consistent relationship between the measured traits and survival until the next trapping session. The correlations, if present, differed in direction between sessions and sexes. Survival over winters was negatively correlated with BM in males (P = 0·001) but not in females (P = 0·43). The logistic regression with quadratic effects revealed stabilizing selection on VO₂max in males (across all sessions: P = 0·010; in breeding seasons only: P = 0·001). 4. Both the presence of stabilizing selection and the opposite direction of the selection between sexes and/or seasons could contribute to the relatively high additive genetic variance of metabolic rates, reported earlier in the bank voles. 5. The results indicate that the maximum rather than the basal rate of metabolism is important to individual fitness of the voles. However, lack of consistency in the association between survival and the metabolic traits casts doubt on previous assumptions regarding the importance of the level of metabolism to an individual's fitness.

In Europe, most cases of human hantavirus disease are caused by Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) transmitted by bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus, syn. Myodes glareolus), in which PUUV causes inconspicuous infection. Little is known about tropism and endoparasite coinfections in PUUV-infected reservoir and spillover-infected rodents. Here, we characterized PUUV tropism, pathological changes and endoparasite coinfections. The voles and some non-reservoir rodents were examined histologically, immunohistochemically, by in situ hybridization, indirect IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. PUUV RNA and anti-PUUV antibodies were detected simultaneously in a large proportion of the bank voles, indicating persistent infection. Although PUUV RNA was not detected in non-reservoir rodents, the detection of PUUV-reactive antibodies suggests virus contact. No specific gross and histological findings were detected in the infected bank voles. A broad organ tropism of PUUV was observed: kidney and stomach were most frequently infected. Remarkably, PUUV was detected in cells lacking the typical secretory capacity, which may contribute to the maintenance of virus persistence. PUUV-infected wild bank voles were found to be frequently coinfected with Hepatozoon spp. and Sarcocystis (Frenkelia) spp., possibly causing immune modulation that may influence susceptibility to PUUV infection or vice versa. The results are a prerequisite for a deeper understanding of virus–host interactions in natural hantavirus reservoirs.

A major theme in evolutionary and ecological physiology of terrestrial vertebrates encompasses the factors underlying the evolution of endothermy in birds and mammals and interspecific variation of basal metabolic rate (BMR). Here, we applied the experimental evolution approach and compared BMR in lines of a wild rodent, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus), selected for 11 generations for: high swim-induced aerobic metabolism (A), ability to maintain body mass on a low-quality herbivorous diet (H) and intensity of predatory behaviour towards crickets (P). Four replicate lines were maintained for each of the selection directions and an unselected control (C). In comparison to C lines, A lines achieved a 49% higher maximum rate of oxygen consumption during swimming, H lines lost 1.3 g less mass in the test with low-quality diet and P lines attacked crickets five times more frequently. BMR was significantly higher in A lines than in C or H lines (60.8, 56.6 and 54.4 ml O2 h−1, respectively), and the values were intermediate in P lines (59.0 ml O2 h−1). Results of the selection experiment provide support for the hypothesis of a positive association between BMR and aerobic exercise performance, but not for the association of adaptation to herbivorous diet with either a high or low BMR.