Genetically Engineered Organisms, Wildlife, and Habitat A Workshop Summary (2008) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
1 Setting the Stage
1 Setting the Stage
Pages 1-8
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 1... ...
By 2006 -- eleven years after the first commercial introduction of corn plants engineered to produce their own insecticide (the delta endotoxin gene of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt) -- more than 123 million acres of land in the United States were planted with genetically engineered crops.
|
From page 2... ...
, potential environmental impacts identified included the following: • Direct and indirect effects on plant and animal species coexisting with transgenic plants and animals. • Interbreeding or hybridization with and horizontal gene transfer to species related to the GEO, creating novel organisms in the ecosystem that are potential pests, competitors, or that depress the fitness of wild relatives.
|
From page 3... ...
Phage for plant disease control Biofuels related (cellulose, lignin degradation) Nitrogen fixation in non-traditional plants Insect symbionts for paratransgenic control Animals Growth promotion -- (growth hormone)
|
From page 4... ...
But that information is also relevant to work of risk assessors in the federal agencies with regulatory authority and the agencies tasked with overseeing the integrity of publicly owned land. FEDERAL RESPONSIBILITIES In 1986, the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology defined roles for federal agencies in regulating the products of biotechnology.
|
From page 5... ...
Through the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, the BRAG Program funds "research designed to identify and develop appropriate management practices to minimize physical and biological risks associated with genetically engineered animals, plants and microorganisms." According to Chris Wozniak, who presented information about BRAG, approximately 140 projects have been funded (maximum award of $400,000) since 1992, with an emphasis on studies that "will provide information useful to regulators for making science-based decisions in their assessments of genetically modified organisms" (USDA, 2008)
|
From page 6... ...
These presenta BOX 1-2 Statement of Task An NRC committee will organize a public workshop of experts, resource man agers, and others to identify research activities with the greatest potential to pro vide scientific information and data that would improve the ability to assess the ecological risks and impacts of genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) on ter restrial and aquatic wildlife and their habitats in the United States.
|
From page 7... ...
In a second round of breakouts, participants began to develop research proposals to address the research topics identified. Although time constraints made detailed proposals impossible, they serve as a starting point for funding and regulatory agencies, particularly as they seek to fill information gaps in assessments of the risks of GEOs to wildlife and habitat.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.