Science
CO2 may cause increased vine growth
Columbus, Ohio | July 20, 2007 12:01:13 AM IST
A study of bottomland hardwood forests in the southeastern United States showed an unusual increased growth of vines during the past 20 years. Ohio State University researchers charting the growth of vines in two South Carolina forests discovered a 10-fold increase in such vines as poison ivy, grapevines, trumpet vines and Virginia creeper. There are now so many vines that they're starting to change the makeup of the forest, said Bruce Allen, a recent Ohio State University doctoral graduate and the study's lead author. It appears that as the number of vines increase, the density of small trees decreases at a fairly uniform rate. The researchers said one of the possible mechanisms responsible for the enhanced growth might be increases in carbon dioxide concentrations. Collectively, we're talking about an increase of more than 500 vine stems in 27 acres of forest area that we studied, he said. The study by Allen, Ohio State University Associate Professor P. Charles Goebel and Rebecca Sharitz, a senior research ecologist at the University of Georgia, was reported in a recent issue of the journal Forest Ecology and Management. (UPI)
Viewer's Comment |
Comments Not Available |
|
| |
Films from northeast take centrestage at Mumbai International Film Festival Shiv Sainiks vandalize cinema hall in Mumbai over Shah Rukh Khan\'s movie BJP elects Nitin Gadkari as its new chief India, Turkey discuss bilateral, regional and global issues Recuperating Vayalar Ravi to reach Chennai by a special aircraft Army chief releases joint operational doctrines Chidambaram asks Maoists to "abjure violence" India and Turkey jointly denounce terrorism
| 
