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Terrorism in the debate over tree genetic improvement

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Title: Terrorism in the debate over tree genetic improvement


1
Terrorism in the debate over tree genetic
improvement
  • Toby Bradshaw
  • University of Washington
  • toby_at_u.washington.edu

Left Parents (top), F1 (middle), F2 (bottom).
Right H5 at age 8 with Potr. Bottom Hybrid
Plantation
2
(No Transcript)
3
From the ELF communiquè
  • "Bradshaw, the driving force in G.E. tree
    research, continues to unleash mutant genes into
    the environment that is sic certain to cause
    irreversible harm to forest ecosystems. As long
    as universities continue to pursue this reckless
    'science', they run the risk of suffering severe
    losses. Our message remains clear, we are
    determined to stop genetic engineering."

4
From the ELF FAQ
  • The ELF targets have included such issues as
    deforestation (for human development of roadways,
    for luxurious living and/or recreation areas, for
    profit by selling or using trees, etc.), urban
    sprawl, genetic engineering, natural habitat and
    ecosystem destruction, the use of slave labor by
    corporations and more.

Setting Fires With Electrical Timers - An Earth
Liberation Front Guide
5
Human demand for wood and fiber is increasing
  • Population growth
  • Lumber
  • Paper
  • Fuel
  • More agricultural land needed to grow food for
    humans less land for forests and wilderness
  • Biobased economy
  • Biological raw materials augment and eventually
    replace petroleum to achieve sustainability

6
The upside potential for yield
non-growing season 22
reflectance, respiration, etc. 21
net photosynthesis 1
  • A 1 increase in conversion of solar energy to
    fixed carbon will double biomass yield

non-PAR 56
7
The role of genetics in agriculture
Genomics and biotech
Single-cross hybrids
Double-cross hybrids
8
Plant breeding involves two distinct phases
  • Domestication
  • Radical transformation of wild plant
  • A few key mutations with huge effects
  • Initial progress is extremely rapid
  • Refinement
  • Subtle alterations in plant structure and
    function
  • Controlled by many genes with small effects
  • Progress is slow but steady

9
Corn domestication
10
Forest tree domestication will follow an
agricultural model
  • Domestication of crops radically modified them
  • Profound changes in morphology and physiology
  • Domesticated plants cannot survive in the wild
  • The first genetic mutations that lead to
    domestication are rare and valuable, but are only
    apparent under intensive cultivation

11
Where are we now and where will we be?
?
?
Effect of mutations
refinement
domestication
Number of mutations
12
Genetic engineering (GE) will be required for
tree domestication
  • One cycle of conventional breeding takes a
    decade GE takes 6 months
  • Outcrossing mating system prevents recovery of
    recessive mutations GE can create them easily
  • Many vital tree functions are supported with
    duplicated genes GE can knock out all copies
    of a gene at once
  • Using genetic engineering, domestication could be
    compressed into a few decades instead of
    centuries of conventional breeding

13
What is a GMO?
  • Genetically Modified Organism
  • Asexual gene (DNA) transfer (genetic
    engineering/GE)
  • Unlimited gene pool
  • Research tool
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Crops (Frankenfood)
  • Livestock?
  • Forest trees?
  • Fish?
  • Humans?

14
Gene transfer (transformation)
  • Typical traits engineered into crops
  • Herbicide resistance (e.g., Roundup Ready)
  • Insect resistance (Bt toxin)
  • Vitamin A (golden rice)
  • Fruit firmness (Flavr Savr tomato)

15
Potential benefits of GE plants
  • Accelerates plant breeding
  • Increased yield spares wilderness
  • Tolerance of harsh environments
  • Improved nutritional quality
  • Reduced use of chemical pesticides
  • Vaccine delivery
  • Novel products (e.g., pharmaceuticals, industrial
    raw materials)

16
Concerns about GE crops and food
  • Human health (e.g., allergies)
  • Unnatural breaching of species barrier
  • Corporate control of agriculture
  • Unethical (e.g., playing God)
  • Environmental risk

17
Potential environmental risks of GE plants
  • Non-target effects (e.g., Monarch butterfly)
  • Insects become resistant to Bt, making it useless
    for organic farmers
  • Increased use of broad-spectrum herbicides
  • Gene flow to wild relatives (e.g., superweeds)
  • Loss of biodiversity (e.g., monoculture)

18
Traits being genetically engineered in forest
trees
  • Herbicide resistance (weed control)
  • Insect resistance (leaf beetle, budworm)
  • Disease resistance (chestnut blight, Dutch elm
    disease, fusiform rust)
  • Lignin reduction (reduced chemical use, waste,
    and energy consumption in pulping)
  • Reproductive sterility (prevention of transgene
    flow)

19
Traits of the future
  • Growth and yield
  • Branching
  • Microfibril angle
  • Tolerance of cold, drought, salt
  • Novel photosynthetic pathways
  • Self-pulping wood
  • Farmaceuticals
  • Industrial chemical feedstocks

20
Who opposes tree genetic engineering research?
  • Earth Liberation Front You cannot control what
    is wild.
  • Greenpeace moratorium on all field research with
    transgenic plants
  • Forest Stewardship Council denies certification
    to entities conducting field research on
    transgenic trees

21
Forest Stewardship Council
  • The use of exotic species shall be carefully
    controlled and actively monitored to avoid
    adverse ecological impacts.
  • No species should be planted on a large scale
    until local trials and/or experience have shown
    that they are ecologically well-adapted to the
    site, are not invasive, and do not have
    significant negative ecological impacts on other
    ecosystems.

22
Issues to discuss
  • What are the trade-offs involved in the adoption
    or rejection of genetically engineered trees?
  • Does genetic engineering differ in any meaningful
    way from conventional plant breeding?

23
US National Research Council/National Academy of
Sciences position on GE and conventional plant
breeding
  • The same physical and biological laws govern the
    response of organisms modified by modern
    molecular and cellular methods and those produced
    by classical methods.

24
US National Research Council/National Academy of
Sciences position on GE and conventional plant
breeding
  • The focus should be on
  • PRODUCT,
  • not PROCESS

25
From the ELF FAQ
  • Capitalism as a target is not easily
    identifiable due to it being an ideology rather
    than a physical object. But forms and symbols of
    capitalism can be targeted successfully the
    list is endless but could include such symbols in
    the U.S. as Mt. Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty,
    Disney, Wall Street, etc.
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