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Genetic pollution is a term for uncontrolled [1] [2] gene flow into wild populations. It is defined as "the dispersal of contaminated altered genes from genetically engineered organisms to natural organisms, esp. by cross-pollination", [3] but has come to be used in some broader ways.
There can also be unexpected, negative health and environmental outcomes. Environmental biotechnology is about the balance between the applications that provide for these and the implications of manipulating genetic material. [4] Textbooks address both the applications and implications.
The key areas of controversy related to genetically modified food (GM food or GMO food) are whether such food should be labeled, the role of government regulators, the objectivity of scientific research and publication, the effect of genetically modified crops on health and the environment, the effect on pesticide resistance, the impact of such ...
The protocol defines a 'living modified organism' as any living organism that possesses a novel combination of genetic material obtained through the use of modern biotechnology, and 'living organism' means any biological entity capable of transferring or replicating genetic material, including sterile organisms, viruses and viroids. [7] '
Environmental consequences are also considered due to disruptions within the food web when these organisms are added to a previously balanced ecosystem. [24] As genetic modification is so fast, the environment may not be able to adapt and integrate the new organism into the ecosystem or it could have unwanted effects on its surroundings. [26]
Genetic engineering can increase the levels of the enzymes used to degrade a toxin or to make the bacteria more stable under environmental conditions. [29] GM bacteria have also been developed to leach copper from ore, [ 30 ] clean up mercury pollution [ 31 ] and detect arsenic in drinking water. [ 32 ]
Gene–environment interaction (or genotype–environment interaction or G×E) is when two different genotypes respond to environmental variation in different ways. A norm of reaction is a graph that shows the relationship between genes and environmental factors when phenotypic differences are continuous. [ 1 ]
Several research groups have been developing GM zebrafish to detect aquatic pollution. [41] The laboratory that developed the GloFish originally intended them to change color in the presence of pollutants, as environmental sentinels. [42] [43] Teams at the University of Cincinnati and Tulane University have been developing GM fish for the same ...