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Re: Gene Tinkering: YOU Are The Mice And They Don't Want You to Know
Mike Zauzig wrote:
>
> B. McClinton wrote:
> > Yes, population growth is the biggest limitation to resource conservation. Empirical
> > evidence shows that population growth rates drop as standard of living and life
> > expectancy increases. Inproving the lives of third world peoples is crucial for
> > stabilizing population growth. This will require both political and agricultural
> > stability in the third world for this to happen.
> >
> > In the meantime, technology has helped minimize the negative effects of a growing
> > population. Extensive low-yield agriculture results in deforestation and the plowing
> > of natural habitats.
> >
> > Blair McClinton
> > b.mcclinton@sk.sympatico.ca
>
> I certainly agree with you that low-yield agriculture is a bad thing. I
> just think
> that genetic engineering would probably be worse.
>
> Are you aware that non-native species are just about the worst
> environmental problem
> we face in the U.S. (Here in Atlanta, our worst invader is Kudzu.) If
> natural
> species can be so destructive and disruptive to ecosystems, imagine what
> non-natural
> species might do.
I agree that invader species are a serious problem in some areas but I
don't think whether a plant came from traditional breeding or transgenics
really makes any difference. It is the relative competitivesness of the
plant and its ability to successfully reproduce that is important.
Invading plant species are generally less palatable to domestic animals
or wildlife (birds, insects, deer etc.)in a particular area, so the
native plants or seeds get eaten preferentially over the invader. In most
cases invaders produce a lot of seed and establish quickly taking
advantage of any open space. Over time, the invader increases through
natural selection. Some examples of this are Downy Brome and Purple
Loosestrife.
Agricultural plants with the Bt gene, may not be susceptible to certain
insects but their vegetation, seeds and fruit would be palatable to other
animals like birds or deer. These plants may actually be eaten
preferentially to the native plants.
With herbicide resistant plants there is potential for these plants to
become weeds in other crops. For example, Roundup resistant crops could
become a weed problem in conservation tillage systems. Since land
degradation including soil erosion is one of the biggest environmental
problems around the world (including the USA), developing manaement
systems for these farmers will be essential.
Blair McClinton
b.mcclinton@sk.sympatico.ca
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