12 research outputs found
Using existing data to predict and quantify the risks of GM forage to a population of a non-target invertebrate species: A New Zealand case study
Determining the effects of genetically modified (GM) crops on non-target organisms is essential as many non-target species provide important ecological functions. However, it is simply not possible to collect field data on more than a few potential non-target species present in the receiving environment of a GM crop. While risk assessment must be rigorous, new approaches are necessary to improve the efficiency of the process. Utilisation of published information and existing data on the phenology and population dynamics of test species in the field can be combined with limited amounts of experimental biosafety data to predict possible outcomes on species persistence. This paper presents an example of an approach where data from laboratory experiments and field studies on phenology are combined using predictive modelling. Using the New Zealand native weevil species Nicaeana cervina as a case study, we could predict that oviposition rates of the weevil feeding on a GM ryegrass could be reduced by up to 30% without threat to populations of the weevil in pastoral ecosystems. In addition, an experimentally established correlation between feeding level and oviposition led to the prediction that a consistent reduction in feeding of 50% or higher indicated a significant risk to the species and could potentially lead to local extinctions. This approach to biosafety risk assessment, maximising the use of pre-existing field and laboratory data on non-target species, can make an important contribution to informed decision-making by regulatory authorities and developers of new technologies
Developing biosafety risk hypotheses for invertebrates exposed to GM plants using conceptual food webs: A case study with elevated triacylglyceride levels in ryegrass
Regulators are acutely aware of the need for meaningful risk assessments to support
decisions on the safety of GM crops to non-target invertebrates in determining their
suitability for field release. We describe a process for developing appropriate, testable
risk hypotheses for invertebrates in agroecosystems that might be exposed to plants
developed by GM and future novel technologies. An existing model (PRONTI) generates a
ranked list of invertebrate species for biosafety testing by accessing a database of
biological, ecological and food web information about species which occur in cropping
environments and their potential interactions with a particular stressor (Eco
Invertebase). Our objective in this contribution is to explore and further utilise these
resources to assist in the process of problem formulation by identifying potentially
significant effects of the stressor on the invertebrate community and the ecosystem
services they provide. We propose that for high ranking species, a conceptual food web
using information in Eco Invertebase is constructed, and using an accepted regulatory risk
analysis framework, the likelihood of risk, and magnitude of impact for each link in the
food web is evaluated. Using as filters only those risks evaluated as likely to extremely
likely, and the magnitude of an effect being considered as moderate to massive, the most
significant potential effects can be identified. A stepwise approach is suggested to
develop a sequence of appropriate tests. The GM ryegrass plant used as the “stressor” in
this study has been modified to increase triacylglyceride levels in foliage by 100% to
increase the metabolisable energy content of forage for grazing animals. The high-ranking
“test” species chosen to illustrate the concept are New Zealand native species
Wiseana cervinata (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae),
Persectania aversa (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and the
self-introduced grey field slug, Deroceras reticulatum (Müller)
Biosecurity in the bioprotection continuum: the complexities for pasture
<p>Armstrong, K.F., Barratt, B.I.P. & Goldson, S.L. (2017)
Biosecurity in the bioprotection continuum: the complexities for pasture. In
Invertebrate Ecology of Australasian Grasslands. Proceedings of the Ninth ACGIE
(ed S.N. Johnson), pp. 269-272. Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury, NSW,
Australia.</p
Developing risk hypotheses and selecting species for assessing non-target impacts of GM trees with novel traits: The case of altered-lignin pine trees
A procedure is presented for developing environmental risk hypotheses associated with the
deployment of forest trees genetically modified to have altered wood properties and for
selecting non-target species to test these hypotheses. Altered-lignin Pinus
radiata trees intended for use in New Zealand are used as a hypothetical case
study to illustrate our approach. Firstly, environmental management goals (such as wood
production, flood control or preservation of biodiversity) were identified and linked to
the forest attributes they require. Necessary conditions for each attribute were listed
and appropriate assessment endpoints for them developed. For example, biological control
of pests may be one condition necessary for a forest to have healthy trees, and the
diversity and abundance of natural enemy species in the forest could be an appropriate
assessment endpoint for measuring this condition. A conceptual model describing the
relationships between an altered-lignin GM pine tree and potentially affected
invertebrates and micro-organisms in a plantation forest was used to develop a set of risk
hypotheses describing how the GM trees might affect each assessment endpoint. Because
purified lignin does not represent the properties it imparts to wood, maximum hazard dose
tests with non-target organisms, as are used to inform toxin risk assessment, cannot be
conducted. Alternative experiments, based on current knowledge of the responses of
organisms to lignin, must be designed. A screening method was adapted and applied to a
database of invertebrate species known to inhabit New Zealand pine forests to identify and
prioritize non-target invertebrate species that could be used as experimental subjects for
examining these hypotheses. The screening model and its application are presented, along
with a set of recommendations for pre-release tests with GM pines and potentially affected
invertebrates and micro-organisms
Do new Access and Benefit Sharing procedures under the Convention on Biological Diversity threaten the future of biological control? Supplemental material (case studies, natural enemy releases, country views concerning ABS)
Under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) countries have sovereign rights over their genetic resources. Agreements governing the access to these resources and the sharing of the benefits arising from their use need to be established between involved parties [i.e. Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)]. This also applies to species collected for potential use in biological control. Recent applications of CBD principles have already made it difficult or impossible to collect and export natural enemies for biological control research in several countries. If such an approach is widely applied it would impede this very successful and environmentally safe pest management method based on the use of biological diversity. The CBD is required to agree a comprehensive Access and Benefit Sharing process in 2010, in preparation for which the IOBC (International Organization for Biological Control of Noxious Animals and Plants) Global Commission on Biological Control and Access and Benefit Sharing has prepared this position paper. Here, we first describe the practice of biological control in relation to the principles of ABS, illustrated extensively by case studies and successes obtained with biological control. Next, we emphasise the very limited monetary benefits generated in biological control when compared to other fields of ABS such as the collection of germplasm for development of human drugs, chemical pesticides or crop cultivars. Subsequently, we inform the biological control community of good ABS practice and challenges, and we hope to make clear to the community involved in ABS under the CBD the special situation with regard to biological control. Finally, based on the non-commercial academic research model, we make recommendations which would facilitate the practice of collection and exchange of biological control agents, propose a workable framework to assist policy makers and biological control practitioners, and urge biological control leaders in each country to get involved in the discussions with their national ABS contact point to take their needs into consideratio
Guidelines and framework to assess the feasibility of starting pre-emptive risk assessment of classical biological control agents
Non-native invasive arthropod species threaten biodiversity and food security worldwide, resulting in substantial economic, environmental, social and cultural costs. Classical biological control (CBC) is regarded as a cost-effective component of integrated pest management programmes to manage invasive arthropod pests sustainably. However, CBC programmes are traditionally conducted once a pest has established in a new environment, and invariably all research needed to achieve approval to release a biological control agent can take several years. During that time, adverse impacts of the pest accelerate. A pre-emptive biocontrol approach will provide the opportunity to develop CBC for invasive pests before they arrive in the country at risk of introduction and therefore enhance preparedness. A critical aspect of this approach is that risk assessment is carried out in advance of the arrival of the pest. Implementing pre-emptive biocontrol risk assessment means that natural enemies can be selected, screened in containment or abroad and potentially pre-approved prior to a pest establishing in the country at risk, thus improving CBC effectiveness. However, such an approach may not always be feasible. This contribution defines the fundamental prerequisites, principles, and objectives of pre-emptive biocontrol risk assessment. A set of guidelines and a decision framework were developed, which can be used to assess the feasibility of conducting a pre-emptive risk assessment for candidate biological control agents against high-risk arthropod pests
A network perspective for sustainable agroecosystems
International audienc
Shifts in the phylogenetic structure and functional capacity of soil microbial communities follow alteration of native tussock grassland ecosystems
Globally, tussock-based grasslands are being modified to increase productive capacity. The impacts of cultivation and over-sowing with exotic grass and legumes on soil microbiology were assessed at four sites in New Zealand which differed in soil type, climate and vegetation. Primary alteration of the soil physicochemical status occurred with land use change. This was driven by addition of mineral fertiliser and alteration of pH. Genes associated with several biogeochemical cycles (GeoChip data) were impacted by land-use but not sampling location. A number of functional gene families associated with biogeochemical cycling of C, N and S were present in greater relative abundance in the undisturbed soils. Similarly, soil bacterial (PhyloChip) and fungal (TRFLP) communities were strongly influenced by land-use change, but unaffected by sampling location. Alteration of land-use increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and OD1 phyla, but many of the less-common phyla, such as Verrucomicrobia and Dictyoglomi decreased in abundance; these phyla may be important in internal soil nutrient cycling processes. This work provides evidence that tussock grassland soils are strongly dependent on microbially-mediated nutrient cycling, and these processes are highly-sensitive to exogenous nutrient inputs and/or alteration of pH. De-coupling of processes following addition of fertilisers or removal of organic matter (grazing) may make these improved grassland systems more susceptible to nutrient leakage. This has important implications for environmental quality