1. Ecological impacts of genetically engineered crops: a case study of the Farm Scale Evaluations L. LaReesa Wolfenbarger University of Nebraska

2. GEO Environmental Risks and Benefits Risks of invasivenessRisks of invasiveness Non-target organism impactsNon-target organism impacts New viral diseasesNew viral diseases Reduced pesticide environmental impactReduced pesticide environmental impact Reduced rate of land conversionReduced rate of land conversion Soil conservationSoil conservation PhytoremediationPhytoremediation Source: Wolfenbarger & Phifer (2000) Science

3. Survival Reproduction Self-sustaining Spread and persistence Pollen flow Hybrid formation Hybrid survival Hybrid reproduction Gene introgression Pathways to invasiveness Introduction of plant

4. Pathways by which environmental impacts could occur Presence of transgenic crop or its transgene –plant above ground –roots –decomposing tissue –pollen drift –gene flow to wild relatives in natural ecosystem

5. Pathways by which ecosystem effects could occur Changes in agricultural practices associated with adoption of a transgenic crop –Pesticide use patterns –Amount of agricultural land –Tillage practices –Crop diversity/rotation

6. Non-target data considered in latest EPA risk assessment for Bt crops* Larval and adult honeybee Green lacewing* Ladybird beetles Parasitic Hymenoptera Monarch butterfly* Avian oral toxicity Static renewal acute toxicity, Daphnia Corn as food for farmed fish Collembola Earthworms *Standard studies based on EPA Subdivision M and/or OPPTS 885 Guidelines OVERALL Very limited evidence for toxic effects*

7. Monarch butterfly Risk assessment over a large geographic scale

8. Farm Scale Evaluations Test hypothesis that biodiversity will be the same in fields managed with GM crops compared to conventional counterparts

9. Farm Scale Evaluations:Why? By 1998 GE Herbicide tolerant crops have cleared most hurdles for commercialization BUT, concerns that GE Herbicide tolerant crops will reduce plant and invertebrate populations on which farmland wildlife depend

10. Farming in the UK Arable and pastoral farming 75% of surface area Land use continuous since 700 BC

11. Farmland is the environment Average farm size is 50 ha Lots of edge habitat Wildlife depends on fields and margins

12. Status of birds in the UK

13. Farm Scale Evaluations:Why? Concerns that GE Herbicide tolerant crops will reduce plant and invertebrate populations on which farmland wildlife depend

14. Design of the FSE Fields planted 1/2 GE, 1/2 Conventional Approx 60 fields per crop Four GE herbicide tolerant crops: beets, maize, spring oilseed rape and winter rapeseed

15. Sites distributed over the UK

16. Design of the FSE Fields planted 1/2 GE, 1/2 Conventional Approx 60 fields per crop Four GE herbicide tolerant crops: beets, maize, spring oilseed rape (canola) and winter rapeseed Measure biodiversity within fields and at margins Biodiversity: weeds, seeds and inverts

17. Habitats sampled

18. Why not measure birds? Plants and inverts respond directly to herbicide management Conclusion of no effect more robust Model effect on birds

19. Herbicide practices during FSE GE crop Fewer applications, later timing, weed cover variability

20. Herbicide practices: Maize GE crop More weed cover in GE half of field

21. Herbicide practices: Oilseed rape More weed cover with conventional cropping GE cropping: later, fewer

22. Results: 8 papers, >100 Tables and figures

23. Andow’s cheat sheet for results

24. What do we do with this?

25. Complications to maize interpretations? Atrazine banned in 2003

26. Largest differences due to crop and season

27. Status of birds in the UK

28. How was information from FSE used?

29. Policy results Advisory committee recommends ban on GE HT beets and oilseed and approval of GE HT maize

30. Recommendations to parliament oppose EU approval for the commercial cultivation of the GM beet and oilseed rape as grown in the FSE trials only allow the commercial cultivation of the GM maize in the FSE trials if restrictions are imposed on its EU marketing consent to limit herbicide use March 2004

31. March 2005 BayerCropScience withdraws its plans to cultivate its approved GE corn “…too many demands”

32. November 2005 No GE crops grown in the UK None expected before 2008 Approval for use of GE crops in feed is occurring

33. And, the latest…. Swiss citizens are not prepared to sell their souls and convictions to satisfy their consumer tastes. Le Matin on approval of a five-year ban on GM foods, 28 November 2005