Biomass and Toxicity Responses of Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron Radicans) to Elevated Atmospheric CO2

Of interest to trail runners and hikers. Just passing along this paper, by Mohan et al 2006.

From the abstract: "Furthermore, high-CO(2) plants produce a more allergenic form of urushiol. Our results indicate that Toxicodendron taxa [which includes poison oak] will become more abundant and more "toxic" in the future, potentially affecting global forest dynamics and human health."


Biomass and Toxicity Responses of Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron Radicans) to Elevated Atmospheric CO2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Jun 13;103(24):9086-9. Mohan JE, Ziska LH, Schlesinger WH, Thomas RB, Sicher RC, George K, Clark JS.