Ecological and Historical Studies on Land Snails: Tiger Snails and Glacial History

By Dr Timothy Pearce, Assistant Curator, Mollusks, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
"Ecological and Historical Studies on Land Snails: Tiger Snails and Glacial History": Dr. Timothy Pearce shares two case studies of recent discoveries about land snail populations in the northeast, and the influence on them of both ancient geological forces and modern environmental threats.
The Tiger Snail, formerly abundant in Northeast North America, has declined since the mid-1900s which is about the same time that acid rain levels began increasing. Dr. Pearce’s studies on the subject reveal connections between the effects of acid rain, The Tiger Snail, and other land snails.
The glacial history of northern Michigan starting about 20,000 years ago had ice covering the area before the glaciers retreated. Through present-day biogeography studies of land snails on Michigan’s islands, Upper Peninsula, and Lower Peninsula, Dr. Pearce analyzes the effects of this geological event on land snail species distribution in the region.
About the Speaker: Timothy Pearce is Assistant Curator in the Section of Mollusks at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, where he conducts research on land snails and cares for and promotes use of a collection of 1.8 million snails and clams. Pearce received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and MA in Paleontology from the University of California at Berkeley.