Above- and belowground biotic interactions facilitate relocation of plants into cooler environments.

One important but largely unanswered question about floristic responses to climate change is how interactions such as competition, facilitation and plant-soil feedbacks will influence the ability of species to track shifting climates. In a rugged and moisture-limited region that has recently warmed by 2° (Siskiyou Mountains, OR, USA), we planted three species into cooler aspects and elevations than those they currently inhabit, with and without removal of neighbouring plants, and tracked them over 2 years. Two species had higher success in cooler topographic locations, and this success was enhanced by neighbouring plants, which appeared to modulate minimum growing season temperatures.

Residential proximity to naturally occurring asbestos and mesothelioma risk in California.

Rationale: Little is known about environmental exposure to low levels of naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) and malignant mesothelioma (MM) risk.

Objectives: To conduct a cancer registry-based case control study of residential proximity to NOA with MM in California.

Methods: Incident MM cases (n = 2,908) aged 35 yr or more, diagnosed between 1988 and 1997, were selected from the California Cancer Registry and frequency matched to control subjects with pancreatic cancer (n = 2,908) by 5-yr age group and sex.