| As the ice began to melt, more land became exposed, but it was a long time before trees could move into these new areas. There was no soil to support any trees; the melting ice sheets uncovered mainly sand, gravel and boulders. When soil eventually began to develop, trees moved northwards at various speeds. Some species had waited out the ice age farther south, and therefore had farther to move. Other species simply required richer soil and couldn't yet survive in the newly ice-free areas. | There is much disagreement over what types of forest habitats existed in which regions. Even though the ice was now beginning to melt, conditions in a lot of areas were still fairly cool and dry. Pollen data and evidence of insects or animals helps to determine the various conditions over time. By the time boreal forests reached as far north as Washington state, evidence of insect life shows that the climate had warmed considerably. |
temperate regions through time -- page 2 of 3
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related topics
[soil] [plants] [pollen] [boreal forests] [insects]
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