Terrorism in the debate over tree genetic improvement

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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
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(No Transcript)
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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."

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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
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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

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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
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The role of genetics in agriculture
Genomics and biotech
Single-cross hybrids
Double-cross hybrids
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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

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Corn domestication
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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

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Where are we now and where will we be?
?
?
Effect of mutations
refinement
domestication
Number of mutations
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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

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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?

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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)

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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)

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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

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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)

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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)

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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

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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

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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.

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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?

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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.

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US National Research Council/National Academy of
Sciences position on GE and conventional plant
breeding

• The focus should be on
• PRODUCT,
• not PROCESS

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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.