Risk assessment of GM plants: avoiding gridlock?

Page created by Jesse Strickland
 
CONTINUE READING
ARTICLE IN PRESS                                                                                        TRPLSC 41

                         Opinion                          TRENDS in Plant Science         Vol.not known No.not known Month 0000                                                       1

Risk assessment of GM plants:
avoiding gridlock?
Mike J. Wilkinson1, Jeremy Sweet2 and Guy M. Poppy3
1
  School of Plant Sciences, The University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, UK RG6 6AS
2
  Environmental Research, National Institute of Agricultural Botany, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge UK CB3 0LE
3
  School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Bassett Crescent East, UK SO16 7PX

Cultivation of genetically modified crops is presently                                        arising from some GM cultivars [7– 9]. Predicting detri-
based largely on four crops containing few transgenes                                         mental impact becomes more challenging as the diversity
and grown in four countries. This will soon change and                                        of GM releases grows and will be particularly difficult for
pose new challenges for risk assessment. A more struc-                                        transgenes that fundamentally change plant physiology
tured approach that is as generic as possible is advo-                                        (e.g. lignin content and drought tolerance). However, it
cated to study consequences of gene flow. Hazards                                             is important to distinguish between unwanted environ-
should be precisely defined and prioritized, with                                             mental changes attributable to a transgene and those
emphasis on quantifying elements of exposure. This                                            caused by other aspects of a dynamic agro-environment.
requires coordinated effort between large, multidisci-                                        Indeed, the absence of quality ‘baseline data’ on environ-
plinary research teams.                                                                       mental change caused by farm practice, land use, con-
                                                                                              ventional or mutation breeding or by the importation of
Commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops                                     exotics for gardening is something that warrants atten-
increased 35-fold from 1.7 Mha in 1996 to 58.7 Mha in                                         tion. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to
2002, with soybean, cotton, maize and rapeseed occupying                                      forthcoming problems relating to the release of future GM
. 99.9% of the area sown (http://www.isaaa.org). Just four                                    crops and to propose a more generic strategy for RISK
countries currently account for 99% of GM hectarage                                           ASSESSMENT (see Glossary).
(USA, Argentina, Canada and China), although the total
number of countries involved increases steadily. Trans-                                       Developing a new way to assess risk
genes for herbicide tolerance and insect resistance pre-                                      RISK is defined by the formula: risk ¼ f (HAZARD , exposure).
dominate, with 98% of GM cultivars containing one or both                                     The hazard term represents the severity of the unwanted
types (http://www.isaaa.org). This situation is also about to                                 change and often relates to a defined species. This element
change globally with the recent explosion of information
on gene identity and function. These data have spawned
a new generation of GM lines with a staggering array                                             Glossary
of applications [1] (http://www.olis.oecd.org/biotrack.nsf).                                     Bitrophic interaction An interaction between two species representing
For economic reasons, many of these new constructs                                               different functions in a foodchain or food web, such as a plant and an insect
                                                                                                 herbivore.
will never be released commercially. However, the trend
                                                                                                 Exposure pathway A sequential series of intermediate events leading to the
towards commercial transgene diversification is illus-                                           realization of a hazard.
trated by the presence of traits such as reduced nicotine                                        Exposure tree A series of connected exposure pathways relating to different
                                                                                                 hazards arising from the same crop.
content, altered fruit ripening, resistance to various                                           Exposure The probability that a defined hazard will occur.
viruses and altered oil profiles among GM lines approved                                         F1 hybrid formation Creation of an initial hybrid between the GM crop and the
by the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal                                           wild recipient.
                                                                                                 Gene flow Movement of a (trans)gene by pollen or seed.
and Plant Health Inspection Services (USDA, APHIS) for                                           Hazard Potential of an agent or situation to cause an adverse effect.
deregulation (generally a precursor of commercialization)                                        Introgression Stable transfer of transgene from the genetic background of the
in the USA (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/bbep/bp/petday.html                                        crop into the genetic background of the recipient species by repeated
                                                                                                 hybridization to the recipient species.
on 21 February 2003). Construct complexity is likewise                                           Risk assessment Process of evaluation, including the identification of the
expanding following numerous advances in the control of                                          attendant uncertainties, of the likelihood and severity of an adverse effect(s) or
                                                                                                 event(s) occurring to the environment following exposure under defined
transgene expression [2 –4]. Overall then, we expect more                                        conditions to a transgenic plant.
GM cultivars grown over a wider area and containing a                                            Risk A function of the probability and severity of an adverse effect or event
broader array of transgenes, expressed in various ways.                                          occurring to the environment following exposure, under defined conditions, to
                                                                                                 a transgenic plant.
These developments should radically increase the adapt-                                          Transgene spread Dispersal of transgene by seed, vegetative propagule or
ability of farming, with benefits to farmers and, in some                                        pollen from the population of initial hybrid formation and into other
cases, to the environment [5,6]. Conversely, there are legi-                                     populations of the recipient species.
                                                                                                 Tritrophic interaction An interaction between three species representing
timate concerns over possible environmental consequences                                         different functions in a food chain or food web such as a plant, an insect
                                                                                                 herbivore and a predator or parasitoid of the insect herbivore.
    Corresponding author: Mike J. Wilkinson (m.j.wilkinson@reading.ac.uk).

http://plants.trends.com 1360-1385/03/$ - see front matter q 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S1360-1385(03)00057-8
ARTICLE IN PRESS                                                                               TRPLSC 41

2                          Opinion      TRENDS in Plant Science   Vol.not known No.not known Month 0000

inevitably carries a degree of subjectivity and is usually
semi-qualitatively represented (e.g. severe, moderate or                     GM recipients significantly depress numbers of specialist
low). In essence, we define how unwanted the environ-                                       herbivore in target region
mental change is. The exposure term represents the                                     Resistance depresses herbivore feeding
probability that the hazard will occur and so is quantifi-                              Transgene spreads to most populations
able, provided the hazard is adequately defined. We quan-
tify the risk by combining a well-defined hazard with                                             Infraspecific gene flow
probability of occurrence. Note that risk assessment in                    Transgene stabilizes in at least one recipient by introgression
this sense does not accommodate for ‘beneficial’ change
                                                                                                Backcrossing to recipient
because this is part of the risk communication process in
which cost–benefit analyses are considered (see EU report,                                               F1 hybrids
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/out83_en.pdf).
   There are several routes by which a GM cultivar could                                           Pollination, seed
impact on the broader environment. Quantifying risk is                                       development and germination
made difficult by the many ways a transgene could influ-
                                                                              Cultivar A                  GM crop                        Cultivar B
ence the ecology of a recipient and associated organisms.
Publications seeking to describe such scenarios can be                                                                         TRENDS in Plant Science

categorized as ‘hazard identification’ studies [10] and
                                                                     Fig. 1. Elements of exposure are arranged as a pathway to examine the probability
include the well-publicized work of John Losey and col-              of population decline of a specialist herbivore feeding on a genetically modified
leagues [11]. These workers highlighted the possibility              (GM) crop relative after transgene recruitment. Two scenarios are presented:
that Bt-containing maize pollen deposited on milkweed                cultivar A has insect resistance alone but cultivar B also has a terminator construct
                                                                     to depress hybrid formation. Arrow size indicates probability of reaching the sub-
leaves (Asclepias spp.) could depress survivorship of                sequent step in the exposure pathway (indicated in text box). Purple text next to
feeding monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) larvae                  the arrows denotes the biological process leading to step completion. Note a high
such that the abundance of the insect declines. Having               probability of hazard realization in cultivar A but a negligible probability for
                                                                     cultivar B after adjusting for hybridization repression by the terminator construct.
defined the hazard, subsequent works systematically
quantified the probability that the hazard would occur
[12 – 14]. These are termed ‘exposure studies’. A combi-
nation of hazard identification and exposure evaluation              different hazard. All pathways ultimately root to the crop
allowed for a rapid assessment of risk [15]. It was con-             and usually share early stages in common. An attractive
cluded that although the hazard is significant, exposure is          strategy for assembling exposure data of generic value is
so small that the risk of monarch population decline is              therefore to focus first on the generic base of the EXPOSURE
negligible. In most instances, the relationship between              TREE and progress towards the hazards. In the case of
crop and hazard is more complex and so risk assessment               gene flow to wild relatives (Fig. 1), the first stage is the
would be more protracted. Furthermore, as diversity of               formation of F 1 HYBRIDS , followed by INTROGRESSION , gene
GM cultivars grows, the number of associated hazards                 spread and other exposure elements relating to various
might become too numerous for all to be identified and               categories of hazards. In assembling exposure trees from
assessed at a rate that keeps pace with submissions.                 the basal node upwards, it should be possible to prioritize
Unstructured hazard identification under these circum-               research towards classes of hazard and recipients with the
stances can favour the obvious or dramatic rather than               highest probability of occurrence within a targeted geo-
those likely to cause large-scale environmental conse-               graphic area. Importantly, it should therefore be possible
quences. We therefore propose that a structured approach             to discount groups of hazards or even crops in a region
be adopted for hazard prioritization and risk assessment             on the basis of a negligible cumulative exposure along a
such that new information is as generic as possible. To              shared pathway. It is also possible to accommodate for
some extent, this is a formalization of the approach already         measures that reduce exposure (Fig. 1). Final steps of
adopted by some regulatory bodies but, in addition, we               an exposure pathway (after TRANSGENE SPREAD ) require
advocate that data be assimilated in a coordinated fashion           separate attention. Here, we suggest the most appropriate
to provide information on the relevant geographic scale              strategy is to work backwards from the hazard using a
for legislation.                                                     progressive ‘tiered experimental approach’. Viewed in
   For consequences of GENE FLOW, the proposed strategy              combination, both these strands allow unlikely hazards
focuses first on the exposure term so that consideration can         to be rapidly eliminated and enable detailed information
be limited to those crop – location combinations with more           generated by focused research efforts to be integrated in a
than a negligible probability of transgene establishment in          holistic manner. This procedure means that prolonged
wild relatives. Exposure can be divided into a series of             research is restricted to hazards with a significant like-
steps in a sequential pathway. The pathway must be                   lihood of occurrence.
completed for the hazard to be realized (e.g. Fig. 1).
Exposure is therefore quantified as the cumulative prob-             Case study of gene flow from GM oilseed rape
ability of completing the pathway. If the cumulative                 Brassica napus (rapeseed) to Brassica rapa gene flow is
probability approximates to zero at any point in the                 perhaps the best-characterized system for risk assess-
pathway, then the risk of hazard realization is negligible.          ment. Here, we examine the gene flow exposure pathway
However, for any GM crop there is a complex tree of                  between these species, considering hazards caused by
interconnected EXPOSURE PATHWAYS , each leading to a                 mono- and BITROPHIC (plant – plant and plant– herbivore)
http://plants.trends.com
ARTICLE IN PRESS                                                                              TRPLSC 41

                           Opinion       TRENDS in Plant Science   Vol.not known No.not known Month 0000                                                 3

or more complex TRITROPHIC (involving plant –herbivore –              to describe the rate and pattern of gene exchange between
parasitoid) interactions between introgressed GM B. rapa              recipient populations must take account of the life history
and other organisms. Exposure follows the order: F1 hybrid            of the recipient as well as separation and genetic differen-
formation, introgression, transgene spread, mono-, bi- and            tiation between populations. Whichever statistical approach
tritrophic interactions. We consider data at the national             is employed to infer gene spread between populations,
scale for maximum relevance for regulation.                           efforts should ultimately aim to develop spatially explicit
                                                                      models based on the distribution of the recipient.
Exposure steps leading to transgene spread
F1 hybrid formation: two components are required to                   Exposure steps leading to hazard realization
estimate UK hybrid abundance – ‘local’ hybridization at               The later stages in the exposure pathway can lead directly
sites of co-occurrence and long-range hybridization. Local            to hazard realization. There is currently no data relating to
hybridization is affected by the ecology of B. rapa, which            these elements for rapeseed B. rapa. The decision to evalu-
grows occasionally as a ruderal or weed and frequently on             ate these exposure steps could be based on the outcome of
riverbanks. These settings present divergent exposure                 the gene flow and spread evaluations above. In the absence
profiles for hybridization. In each case, we need first to            of such data, we advocate a precautionary stance in which
quantify hybrid abundance when donor and recipient are                transgene recruitment and spread is assumed. Priorities
coincident, and then the frequency of coincidence. Esti-              should then be assigned to final exposure steps leading to
mates of hybrid seed formation are available for both weed            hazards deemed of greatest ecological importance. Inter-
[16,17] and riverbank B. rapa [18], although seed dormancy,           actions at the first, second and third trophic levels (Fig. 2)
fitness and crop rotation should be considered before                 should be examined using a tiered system of experimen-
attempting to infer hybrid plant frequency. To date, we               tation (Fig. 3) [10,27]. In this approach, hazards are
are unaware of any suitable empirical observations of                 identified during first-tier laboratory experiments under
F1 hybrid plant abundance that would provide the best                 ‘worst-case scenario’ conditions. Progression to larger-
estimate of this element of exposure. Data are also lacking           scale experiments in higher tiers aims to provide increas-
for the frequency of coincidence at the national scale,               ingly refined estimates of exposure and thus quantification
although Mike Wilkinson and colleagues [19] used remote-              of risk. Thus, the strategy is opposite to that used for gene
sensing-directed surveying to establish coincidence of                flow, where exposure was measured before the hazard.
rapeseed and riverside B. rapa across SE England (UK).                However, even when gene flow occurs, the ecological con-
    Quantifying long-range hybridization is more problem-             sequence of such gene movement needs to be measured
atic and inevitably involves spatially explicit modelling             to assess the risks of geneflow. This allows simplification
using donor and recipient distributions, pollen dispersal             in our proposed scheme because the consequence of
patterns, and the relationship between pollination and
hybrid frequency. Data are currently only available for
pollen dispersal [20].                                                  Third trophic level
    Introgression: F1 hybrids are triploid (2n ¼ 3x ¼ 29,                  (Predator or
AAC) but partially fertile [21]. Introgressive backcrossing                 parasitoid)
to B. rapa yields diploid plants within two backcross
generations [22]. The likelihood of a transgene becoming
stably introgressed into B. rapa is dependent upon inte-
gration site and plant reproductive success during intro-                 Second trophic
gression. There are two aspects of transgene integration                       level
site that need to be described. First, the degree of homeo-                 (Herbivore)
                                                                                                                                 Tritrophic
logous pairing between A and C genomes during intro-                                                                            interaction
gression, as this might or might not influence the probability
of transfer for transgenes on the C genome [23,24]. Second,
                                                                                        Bitrophic
the regions in the rapeseed genome that incur fitness costs                            interaction
by linkage drag during introgression. Appropriate data are
currently unavailable for either component. Reproductive
success and fitness during introgression can be inferred
from studies on weedy B. rapa [25,26] but are unavailable               First trophic level
for riverside B. rapa.                                                        (Plant)
    Transgene spread: weed populations are scattered,
effectively controlled in cereals and so generally only
flower in rapeseed. This means that populations are highly
                                                                                      Introgressed                  Inter- and Intraspecific
isolated in time and space, and are most likely to recruit                            GM recipient                      plant interaction
transgenes by local hybridization. Conversely, riverside
B. rapa are mostly separated from the crop, with few                                                                           TRENDS in Plant Science
populations recruiting transgenes each year [19]. Here,
the capacity and extent of gene flow between populations              Fig. 2. Possible levels of interaction between genetically modified (GM) recipient
                                                                      wild species and other organisms. Interactions segregate into layers: monotrophic
will strongly affect the spread and ultimate distribution of          (plant –plant interaction), bitrophic (plant– herbivore interaction) and tritrophic
transgenes. No data are currently available but any attempt           (plant –herbivore– preditor or parasitoid).

http://plants.trends.com
ARTICLE IN PRESS                                                                          TRPLSC 41

4                          Opinion                  TRENDS in Plant Science       Vol.not known No.not known Month 0000

                                                                                        Tritrophic interactions: there are many possible tritro-
      Risk quantification                      Third-tier                            phic interactions and any could lead to hazard realization.
                                             Field studies                           These are too complex to consider collectively and although
                                                                                     three-way interaction studies are feasible, the complexity of
                                            Second-tier
                                                                                     these interactions still dictates that studies are performed
                                     Extended laboratory studies,
                                             'semi-field'                            under controlled environments.

                                               First-tier                            Conclusions
                                         Laboratory studies,                         Risk assessment is entering a new phase. Increased
                                        'worst case scenario'                        diversity of GM cultivars will create the need for an
     Hazard identification
                                                                                     integrated approach to risk assessment. The concept of
                                                    TRENDS in Plant Science          exposure trees has appeal in allowing case-by-case assess-
                                                                                     ments to focus on hazards that have high impact and
Fig. 3. A tiered risk-assessment scheme. First-tier experiments are conducted
                                                                                     strong likelihood of realization. This is important for both
to identify hazards in a ‘worst case-scenario’ and subsequent tiers are used to
quantify risk by introducing more realistic probability and exposure levels.         scientific and public confidence. Current data on gene flow
                                                                                     and spread are either insufficiently integrated or of an
transgenes in wild relatives is only measured if it can occur                        inappropriate scale to predict the likelihood or extent of
and the impact can then be assessed via a tiered risk-                               transgene movement in a geographic region except in the
assessment scheme. More details on the use of tiered risk                            broadest of terms. The need for at least semi-quantitative
assessment are described elsewhere [10,27]. Thus, hazards                            estimates will nevertheless grow as new submissions
failing to realize under ‘worst case scenario’ conditions can                        include genetic elements to prevent or repress hybridiz-
effectively be disregarded. Failing this, some hazards might                         ation. Where widespread gene dispersal is deemed likely,
be eliminated as conditions become more similar to those                             attention turns towards the final exposure elements in the
encountered in the field. In this way, effort is focussed upon                       tree, working back from the hazard using a tiered strategy
hazards with the greatest likelihood of realization.                                 of experimental design. This dual approach (from hybrid-
    Mono- and bitrophic interactions: interactions between                           ization towards the hazard and from the hazard to assess
GM recipients and other organisms could cause hazard                                 later elements of exposure) provides scope for rapid and
realization (e.g. decline of interacting organisms). Inter-                          systematic elimination of improbable hazards, thereby
actions can be plant– plant or plant– animal. Detailed life                          reducing tendency towards gridlock. However, in all cases,
history data of the recipient and associated flora collected                         precise definition of the hazard is of paramount importance.
in situ provides the best measure of plant– plant inter-                                 The desire for risk assessment at the geographic scale
actions. Ideally, the aim would be to evaluate the extent to                         requires assimilation of mutually compatible datasets
which interactions such as competition impact on popu-                               from many scientific disciplines. This necessitates close
lation dynamics of cohabiting plants. In practice, inter-                            cooperation of diverse research teams. Although indepen-
pretation will be difficult and it is probably also desirable                        dent research efforts can be valuable for hazard identifi-
to perform ex situ competition experiments [28] in a con-                            cation and exposure assessment on a small scale, it is
trolled environment (first tier) and field (second tier).                            difficult to imagine integrating their findings to predict
    Plant – herbivore interactions are more difficult to study                       outcomes reliably at the national or geographic scale. As
in situ because of herbivore mobility. Although surveying                            illustrated above, lack of coordination leads to gaps in
can be used to identify associated insects, heavy reliance                           knowledge. We therefore reason that there is a real need
must be placed on ex situ experimentation to provide                                 for a move from the current practice of largely disparate
quantitative data relating to the nature and extent of                               research projects towards substantial, coordinated research
interaction. This is partly because the nature of change                             initiatives to produce generic datasets relating to the early
caused by interaction will be determined largely by                                  stages of the exposure tree and to provide preliminary
transgene function. There is a choice between controlled                             exposure assessments for high-priority hazards. This will
a priori releases of a GM recipient (a ‘suck and see’                                allow risk assessment to be more predictive, as is required
approach) and/or controlled experimentation. The a priori                            from robust risk-assessment schemes. We believe this can
releases yield the most appropriate data for exposure                                be achieved most effectively through cooperation between
quantification but controlled experimentation is the only                            funding bodies to ensure complimentarity in research
practical option in many cases. Where the GM intro-                                  projects. It will also reduce the financial burden on com-
gressed recipients are unavailable, it might be preferable                           panies who will need to provide information more relevant
to mimic the action of the transgene. For example, the                               to the trait or crop in question, rather than unnecessarily
action of transgenes conferring insect resistance could be                           repeating measures of geneflow and its consequences.
mimicked by the targeted application of selective insecti-
cides, although care is needed with regard to the choice of                          References
insecticide [29], time of application [30] and the manner of                          1 Dunwell, J.M. (2002) Future prospects for transgenic crops. Phyto-
application. Ultimately, simulation is more useful for hazard                           chem. Rev. 1, 1 – 12
identification than exposure quantification. Exposure quan-                           2 Custers, J.B.M. et al. (1997) Analysis of microspore-specific promoters
                                                                                        in transgenic tobacco. Plant Mol. Biol. 35, 689 – 699
tification almost inevitably requires eventual use of GM                              3 O’Connel, A. et al. (2002) Improved paper pulp from plants with
plants, ideally involving collection of empirical data in                               suppressed cinnamoyl-CoA reductase or cinnamyl alcohol dehydro-
which gene– environment interaction can be measured.                                    genase. Transgenic Res. 11, 495 – 503
http://plants.trends.com
ARTICLE IN PRESS                                                                          TRPLSC 41

                           Opinion                TRENDS in Plant Science      Vol.not known No.not known Month 0000                                        5

 4 Zuo, J.R. and Chua, N.H. (2000) Chemical-inducible systems for                      with its weedy relative, Brassica rapa. Environ. Biosafety Res. 1,
   regulated expression of plant genes. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 11,                    19 – 28
   146 – 151                                                                      18   Scott, S.E. and Wilkinson, M.J. (1998) Transgene risk is low. Nature
 5 Phipps, R.H. and Park, J.R. (2002) Environmental benefits of                        393, 320
   genetically modified crops: global and European perspectives on                19   Wilkinson, M.J. et al. (2000) A direct regional scale estimate of
   their ability to reduce pesticide use. J. Anim. Feed. Sci. 11, 1 – 18               transgene movement from genetically modified oilseed rape to its wild
 6 Trewavas, A.J. and Leaver, C.J. (2001) Is opposition to GM crops                    progenitors. Mol. Ecol. 9, 983– 991
   science or politics? An investigation into the arguments that GM crops         20   Timmons, A.M. et al. (1996) Risks from transgenic crops. Nature 380,
   pose a particular threat to the environment. EMBO Rep. 2, 455 – 459                 487
 7 Dale, P.J. et al. (2002) Potential for environmental impact of transgenic      21   Jorgensen, R.B. et al. (1996) Spontaneous hybridization between
   crops. Nat. Biotechnol. 20, 567 – 574                                               oilseed rape (Brassica napus) and weedy relatives. Acta Hortic. 407,
 8 Peterson, G. et al. (2000) The risks and benefits of genetically modified           193– 200
   crops: a multidisciplinary perspective. Conservation Ecology, 4art. no.        22   Hauser, T.P. et al. (1998) Fitness of backcross and F-2 hybrids between
   13 (http://www.bdt.fat.org.br/cons_ecol/)                                           weedy Brassica rapa and oilseed rape (B. napus). Heredity 81,
 9 Rogers, H.J. and Parkes, H.C. (1995) Transgenic plants and the                      436– 443
                                                                                  23   Metz, P.L.J. et al. (1997) The impact on biosafety of the phosphino-
   environment. J. Exp. Bot. 46, 467– 488
                                                                                       thricin-tolerance transgene in inter-specific B. rapa £ B. napus
10 Poppy, G.M. (2000) GM crops: environmental risks and non-target
                                                                                       hybrids and their successive backcrosses. Theor. Appl. Genet. 95,
   effects. Trends Plant Sci. 5, 4 – 6
                                                                                       442– 450
11 Losey, J.E. et al. (1999) Transgenic pollen harms monarch larvae.
                                                                                  24   Tomiuk, J. et al. (2000) A- or C-chromosomes, does it matter for the
   Nature 399, 214
                                                                                       transfer of transgenes from Brassica napus? Theor. Appl. Genet. 100,
12 Sears, M.K. et al. (2001) Impact of Bt corn pollen on monarch butterfly
                                                                                       750– 754
   populations: a risk assessment. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 98,
                                                                                  25   Hauser, T.P. et al. (1998) Fitness of F-1 hybrids between weedy
   11937– 11942
                                                                                       Brassica rapa and oilseed rape (B. napus). Heredity 81, 429 – 435
13 Stanley-Horn, D.E. et al. (2001) Assessing the impact of Cry1Ab-
                                                                                  26   Pertl, M. et al. (2002) Male fitness of oilseed rape (Brassica napus),
   expressing corn pollen on monarch butterfly larvae in field studies.                weedy B. rapa and their F-1 hybrids when pollinating B. rapa seeds.
   Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 98, 11931 – 11936                                   Heredity 89, 212– 218
14 Oberhauser, K.S. et al. (2001) Temporal and spatial overlap between            27   Hails, R.S. (2000) Genetically modified plants – the debate continues.
   monarch larvae and corn pollen. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 98,                 Trends Ecol. Evol. 15, 14 – 18
   11913– 11918                                                                   28   Crawley, M.J. (2000) Plant Ecology, Blackwell Science
15 Gatehouse, A.M.R. et al. (2002) The case of the monarch butterfly: a           29   Schuler, T.H. et al. (1999) Potential side effects of insect-resistant
   verdict is returned. Trends Genet. 18, 249 – 251                                    transgenic plants on arthropod natural enemies. Trends Biotechnol.
16 Jorgensen, R.B. and Andersen, B. (1994) Spontaneous hybridization                   17, 210 – 216
   between oilseed rape (Brassica napus) and weedy B. campestris                  30   Riggin Bucci, T.M. and Gould, F. (1997) Impact of intraplot mixtures of
   (Brassicaceae): a risk of growing genetically modified oilseed rape.                toxic and nontoxic plants on population dynamics of diamondback
   Am. J. Bot. 81, 1620 – 1626                                                         moth (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) and its natural enemies. J. Econ.
17 Halfhill, M.D. et al. (2002) Bt-transgenic oilseed rape hybridization               Entomol. 90, 241 – 251

http://plants.trends.com
You can also read