Journal or Publishing Institution: Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics
Author(s): Hilbeck, A.
Article Type: Journal Publication
Record ID: 1005
Abstract: Genetically modified plants are widely grown predominantly in North America and to a lesser extent in Australia, Argentina and China but their regions of production are expected to spread soon beyond these limited areas also reaching Europe where great controversy over the application of gene technology in agriculture persists. Currently, several cultivars of eight major crop plants are commercially available including canola, corn, cotton, potato, soybean, sugar beet, tobacco and tomato, but many more plants with new and combined multiple traits are close to registration. While currently agronomic traits (herbicide resistance, insect resistance) dominate, traits conferring “quality” traits (altered oil compositions, protein and starch contents) will begin to dominate within the next years. However, economically the most promising future lies in the development and marketing of crop plants expressing pharmaceutical or “nutraceuticals” (functional foods), and plants that express a number of different genes. From this it is clear that future agricultural and, ultimately, also natural ecosystems will be challenged by the large-scale introduction of entirely novel genes and gene products in new combinations at high frequencies all of which will have unknown impacts on their associated complex of non-target organisms, i.e. all organisms that are not targeted by the insecticidal protein. In times of severe global decline of biodiversity, pro-active precaution is necessary and careful consideration of the likely expected effects of transgenic plants on biodiversity of plants and insects is mandatory.
Keywords: Bacillus thuringiensis; Chrysoperla carnea; biodiversity; biological control; integrated pest management; natural enemies; non-target effects; transgenic plants
Citation: Hilbeck, A., 2001. Implications of transgenic, insecticidal plants for insect and plant biodiversity. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 4(1), pp.43-61.