Introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms into the Environment

About this book

This volume provides the necessary background in order to make a statement on the potential benefits and hazards of the introduction of bio-engineered organisms. Written by molecular biologists as well as ecologists who have actively participated in an analysis of the fate and environmental consequences of introduced organisms.

Contents

Part 1 History of concerns regarding genetic manipulation: risk assessment for genetic experimentation and application, Anna Marie Skalka; recombinant DNA - past lessons and current concerns, Allan Campbell. Part 2 Genetic transfer and the environment: impact of human civilization on biological evolution, Werner Arber; epistatic and pleiotropic effects on genetic manipulation, Allan Campbell; modulation of replication efficiency by non-coding sequences and by the environment, Giorgio Bernardi et al; population consequences of genetic design in sexually reproducing organisms, Freddy B.Christiansen; evolutionary consequences of modifying cultivated plants, A.Caplan and M.Van Montagu; organization and dynamics of the Rhizobium genome - a basis for introducing novel arrangements of genetic information into the environment, Rafael Palacios et al; engineering microbes for function and safety in the environment, D.F.Dwyer and Kenneth N.Timmis; patterns of establishment and spread of animal viruses, Frank Fenner; the release of genetically designed organisms in the environment - lessons from the study of the ecology of biological invasions, Harold A.Mooney and James A.Drake. Part 3 Assessment and regulation: the ecology of genetically-engineered organisms - assessing the environmental risks, Michael J.Crawley; safety standards for the environmental release of genetically-engineered organisms, Simon A.Levin; regulation of biotechnology - a perspective on the US "Coordinated Framework", David T.Kingsbury; current trends in the evaluation of the impact of deliberate release of microorganisms in the environment - a case study with a bioinsecticidal bacterium, Robert M.Faust and Kunthala Jayaraman.

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