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Creeping vine are progressively invading southerly timberland , choking out Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and modify wood composition .
scientist say increased layer of carbon dioxide might be to blame .
A grapevine wraps itself around a tree in Congaree National Park near Columbia, South Carolina.
The encroachment involves more than kudzu , the woody vine of Japanese origin that can be century of millions of dollar sign in the southeastern United States annually in lost cropland and ascendancy touchstone .
A survey of two timberland in South Carolina over the retiring two decades has reveal that vine such as grapevines , trumpet vine , toxicant common ivy and Virginia creeper have been infiltrating the arena at increasingly high charge per unit , especially in new timberland .
researcher evaluated the difference in vine concentration in an previous - growing forest in South Carolina ’s Congaree National Park and a newer timberland along the Savannah River and ground that the number of vines in the sometime forest had doubled within 12 years , while there was a 10 - fold increase in vine in the newer forest .
The approach pattern found in this work , detailed in an April issue of the journalForest Ecology and Management , match those found by studies of other temperate and tropicalforests , noted subject leader Bruce Allen , of Ohio State University .
As the number of vines increase , the growth of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree may be imperil . The leaf of the vines satiate the canopy and block sun that would otherwise reach out the timberland floor , so compete plant life fail because they ca n’t get enough light .
" There are so many vine that they ’re starting to deepen the composition of the woods , " Allen say . " It appears that as the number of vines increases , the density of small Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree decreases at a fairly undifferentiated rate . "
Just why the vines are taking over is uncertain , but Allen and his fellow speculate that increasing carbon copy dioxide concentrations that are fueling planetary warming could be benefiting vine growth more thantree maturation .
" Many vines boom on kick upstairs layer of carbon copy dioxide , " Allen said . " Several field of study suggest that vine like poison ivy benefit more than other plant from higher CO2 levels . "
