Most small rodent populations in the world have fascinating population dynamics. In the northern hemisphere, voles and lemmings tend to show population cycles with regular fluctuations in numbers. In the southern hemisphere, small rodents tend to have large amplitude outbreaks with less regular intervals. In the light of vast research and debate over almost a century, we here discuss the driving forces of these different rodent population dynamics. We highlight ten questions directly related to the various characteristics of relevant populations and ecosystems that still need to be answered. This overview is not intended as a complete list of questions but rather focuses on the most important issues that are essential for understanding the generality of small rodent population dynamics.

世界上大多数小型啮齿动物种群都具有令人着迷的种群动态。在北半球，田鼠和旅鼠往往表现出数量有规律波动的种群周期。在南半球，小型啮齿动物往往会出现大规模爆发，但间隔时间不太规律。根据近一个世纪的大量研究和争论，我们在这里讨论这些不同啮齿动物种群动态的驱动力。我们重点介绍了与相关种群和生态系统的各种特征直接相关的十个问题，但仍需要回答。本概述并不是完整的问题列表，而是重点关注对于理解小型啮齿动物种群动态的普遍性至关重要的最重要问题。