Sunlit mesocosms designed for pollen confinement and risk assessment of transgenic crops |
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Authors: | Ronald S Waschmann Lidia S Watrud Leon R Reece Tamotsu Shiroyama |
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Institution: | (1) US Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Western Ecology Division, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA;(2) National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, 1511 Third Ave, Seattle, WA 98101, USA |
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Abstract: | To minimize concerns about the ecological consequences of wind and insect dispersal of pollen and the potential of gene flow
from experimental genetically modified (GM) crops to compatible relatives, we have modified outdoor sunlit open top chambers
(OTCs) for use with GM plants. We have redesigned 21 cylindrical OTCs, commonly used to study the effects of atmospheric pollutants,
by adding (1) a pollen filter at the top of each unit to minimize the possibility of the escape of GM pollen; with pollen
filters in place, the OTCs are referred to as mesocosms, (2) an evaporative cooler to help mitigate elevated temperatures
during the summer months, and (3) an automated watering system that eliminates the need to enter a mesocosm for irrigation
during pollination, thereby minimizing potential pollen escape and entry of insect pollinators. Each sunlit mesocosm contains
three large plastic pots (each with 1.2-m2 surface area) that simulate field plots and that contain a constructed plant community. For example, the community may consist
of a GM and a non-GM cultivar of canola (Brassica napus), compatible weedy relatives, and non-compatible species that may be found in mesic disturbed areas such as roadsides or ditches
beyond crop fields. The sunlit mesocosms provide a well-replicated outdoor testing system that confines pollen and that can
be used to precede or supplement field tests that evaluate the potential ecological consequences of transgenic crops. The
mesocosms are proposed as test systems in which transgenic crops and other plants (e.g., biofuel crops) that have been proposed
to be grown in new geographies, or plants that produce novel compounds, may be studied to evaluate their potential effects
on plant communities. The pollen confinement and insect exclusion features of our mesocosms may also minimize exposure of
sensitive humans and insect pollinators to pollen and cellular debris from other plant parts. |
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