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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Bad Bad News - Global Warming Good for Poison Ivy |
| 2008-08-23 |
| Polar bears might be endangered because global warming is melting their homes on arctic ice shelves, but one species is thriving: poison ivy. A growing body of research shows that in controlled experiments, poison ivy goes crazy in an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide. Many plants grow better when they get extra carbon dioxide, but researchers were surprised to learn how well poison ivy did. "It isn't that other plants can't grow as well, it's just that poison ivy grows so much more," said Lewis H. Ziska, a plant physiologist who specializes in crop systems and global change for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville. One theory is that poison ivy, and vines in general, don't have to invest as much of their carbon (obtained from carbon dioxide) in trunks and branches as trees do. More research, of course, is required. And that just scratches the surface. Isn't it just our luck that among its leafy green counterparts, poison ivy would be the class overachiever? |
| Posted by:Bobby |
| #7 That stuff already gets pretty crazy in Virginia. I've chopped down vines of it that were 2" thick at the base. Good thing global warming isn't real. |
| Posted by: Jolutch Mussolini7800 2008-08-23 23:30 |
| #6 My horses like to eat poison ivy. I have very little around here. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2008-08-23 21:02 |
| #5 We know so we-e-ell Use aloe vera ge-e-e-elllll Of course it rhymes, .5MT. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-08-23 20:44 |
| #4 aloe vera gel That don't rhyme. You're gonna neeeeed an Oshun of Calomine a Loshun! |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-08-23 17:45 |
| #3 Poison ivy berries are a high-calorie, high-nutrition food source upon which many birds and animals depend to survive cold winters. The vines provide shelter for ground- and tree-nesting critters. It's only humans who are irritated by the oil on the leaves and vines, and only 75% of us at that. It sounds like we have an evolutionary opportunity here, folks! .5MT, aloe vera gel is more effective. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-08-23 17:43 |
| #2 Ima go long on...... yeah! Calomine. Cause we're gonna need an Ocean of CalomineNah Loshun. Yar! Cause of Poison Iveee, Poison Iveeeeee.... |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-08-23 16:00 |
| #1 I blame Kudzu! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-08-23 14:49 |