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AFTER THE ICE AGE: THE RETURN OF
LIFE TO GLACIATED NORTH AMERICA
by E.C. Pielou
After the Ice Age: The Return of Life to
Glaciated North America by E.C. Pielou
Introduction
◦ “After the Ice Age: the Return of Life to Glaciated North America” is a book that demonstrates the evolution of
life in North America after the melting of glaciers. The author, E. C. Pielou, is a Canadian biologist and writer
who has written extensively about science and nature. Her writing style is engaging, and she presents complex
scientific information in an easy-to-understand way.
◦ This book chronicles the restoration of life to areas that were once covered in ice. It’s also a great lesson in
evolution, as it explains how species from elsewhere migrated to North America as the glaciers receded and
recolonized the land.
◦ It is not just a general overview of the effects that glaciers have on landscapes, but a very detailed look at
specific areas and what happened to them after being exposed to the elements.
◦ It shows how vegetation grows back, animals recolonize the area, and ecological succession occurs after
◦ It follows the story of the fossil record from near extinction at the end of the last ice age to the thriving
ecosystems that exist at present.
Summary: “After the Ice Age: the Return of
Life to Glaciated North America”
◦ The book “After the Ice Age: The Return of Life to Glaciated North America” wrote by Pielou described
the events happened on Earth after the glacial advances after 20,000 years. It provided information through
samples from both extinct as well as extant inconsequential species. These samples served as geological
evidence in understanding the cycles affecting the different condition of the environment such as the
Malankovich Cycle.
◦ Malankovich Cycle describes the rotation of the Earth around the sun, the warming of the climate for the past
10,000 years, as well as the Ice Age during 1600 A.D.
◦ The Agassiz and the McConnell lakes which is demarcated on the map and its influences on the present pattern
of landforms as well as vegetations are clearly described by the author.
Continuation of the Summary of the
Book…
◦ It is explained in the book how the species were distributed across North America due to their capability to
migrate especially when the lakes flowed and drained in different major drainages.
◦ The author narrated articulately the observations of insignificant organisms like the floating single-celled
species, the foraminifera that were fossilized and mixed to the sediments of the lake. The changes in these
forams in the water sediments signifies climate change.
◦ The evolution of the Glacial lakes such as the Lake Missoula, the changes in terrains in eastern part of
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