17 research outputs found
A Meta-Analysis of Effects of Bt Crops on Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
L.) are the most important pollinators of many agricultural crops worldwide and are a key test species used in the tiered safety assessment of genetically engineered insect-resistant crops. There is concern that widespread planting of these transgenic crops could harm honey bee populations.We conducted a meta-analysis of 25 studies that independently assessed potential effects of Bt Cry proteins on honey bee survival (or mortality). Our results show that Bt Cry proteins used in genetically modified crops commercialized for control of lepidopteran and coleopteran pests do not negatively affect the survival of either honey bee larvae or adults in laboratory settings.Although the additional stresses that honey bees face in the field could, in principle, modify their susceptibility to Cry proteins or lead to indirect effects, our findings support safety assessments that have not detected any direct negative effects of Bt crops for this vital insect pollinator
Intended Consequences Statement in Conservation Science and Practice
As the biodiversity crisis accelerates, the stakes are higher for threatened plants and animals. Rebuilding the health of our planet will require addressing underlying threats at many scales, including habitat loss and climate change. Conservation interventions such as habitat protection, management, restoration, predator control, trans location, genetic rescue, and biological control have the potential to help threatened or endangered species avert extinction. These existing, well-tested methods can be complemented and augmented by more frequent and faster adoption of new technologies, such as powerful new genetic tools. In addition, synthetic biology might offer solutions to currently intractable conservation problems. We believe that conservation needs to be bold and clear-eyed in this moment of great urgency
Pharmaceutical crops have a mixed outlook in California
Crops are being genetically engineered to produce a wide variety of drugs, vaccines
and other pharmaceutical proteins. Although these crops may open the door to less
expensive and more-readily available drugs, there is concern regarding the potential
for contamination of human food and livestock feed, as well as environmental harm.
The outlook for the production of pharmaceutical crops in California currently appears
mixed. To date, 18 federal permits for field trials involving pharmaceutical or industrial
proteins have been approved in California. However, the state's farming community
and general public have thus far rejected pharmaceutical crop production, and a handful
of local governments have recently banned the cultivation of genetically modified
crops, including pharmaceutical crops. In light of the many pros and cons, three major
approaches — the precautionary approach, risk analysis and cost-benefit analysis —
could be used to move the debate about pharmaceutical crops forward
Pharmaceutical crops in California, benefits and risks. A review
Crops are being genetically engineered to produce a wide variety of drugs,
vaccines and other pharmaceutical proteins. Although these crops may open
the door to less expensive and more readily available drugs, there is
concern regarding the potential for contamination of human food and
livestock feed, as well as environmental harm. The outlook for the
production of pharmaceutical crops in California currently appears mixed. To
date, 18 federal permits for field trials involving pharmaceutical or
industrial proteins have been approved in California. However, the state's
farming community and general public have thus far rejected pharmaceutical
crop production, and a handful of local governments have recently banned the
cultivation of genetically modified crops, including pharmaceutical crops.
In light of the many pros and cons, three major approaches – the
precautionary approach, risk analysis and cost-benefit analysis – could be
used to move the debate about pharmaceutical crops forward
Conservation Science: Balancing the Needs of People and Nature
Conservation Science is the first textbook to teach the scientific foundations of conservation biology while highlighting strategies to better connect its practice with the needs and priorities of a growing human population.https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/faculty_books/1070/thumbnail.jp
An Ecosystem Services Framework to Support Both Practical Conservation and Economic Development
The core idea of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is that the human condition is tightly linked to environmental condition. This assertion suggests that conservation and development projects should be able to achieve both ecological and social progress without detracting from their primary objectives. Whereas "win-win" projects that achieve both conservation and economic gains are a commendable goal, they are not easy to attain. An analysis of World Bank projects with objectives of alleviating poverty and protecting biodiversity revealed that only 16% made major progress on both objectives. Here, we provide a framework for anticipating win-win, lose-lose, and win-lose outcomes as a result of how people manage their ecosystem services. This framework emerges from detailed explorations of several case studies in which biodiversity conservation and economic development coincide and cases in which there is joint failure. We emphasize that scientific advances around ecosystem service production functions, tradeoffs among multiple ecosystem services, and the design of appropriate monitoring programs are necessary for the implementation of conservation and development projects that will successfully advance both environmental and social goals. The potentially bright future of jointly advancing ecosystem services, conservation, and human well-being will be jeopardized unless a global monitoring effort is launched that uses the many ongoing projects as a grand experiment
Comparison of effect sizes for larval and adult honey bees exposed to different Bt Cry proteins or plant tissues: (A) lepidopteran-active and coleopteran-active proteins combined, (B) lepidopteran-active Bt Cry proteins only, and (C) coleopteran-active protein only.
<p>Error bars and N are as described for <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0001415#pone-0001415-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1</a>.</p