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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2001. Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10068.
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Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops

A Workshop Summary by

Robert Pool, Ph.D., and

Joan Esnayra, Ph.D.

Board on Biology

Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources

National Research Council

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2001. Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10068.
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    NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20418

    NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

    This report has been prepared with funds provided by the Department of Energy, grant DEFG02-94ER61939, and the National Cancer Institute, contract No. N01-OD-4-2139.

    ISBN 0-309-07335-9

    Copyright 2001 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

    Printed in the United States of America.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2001. Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10068.
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    THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

    National Academy of Sciences

    National Academy of Engineering

    Institute of Medicine

    National Research Council

    The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal govern ment on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

    The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

    The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

    The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal gov ernment. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in pro viding services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2001. Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10068.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2001. Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10068.
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    PLANNING GROUP FOR THE WORKSHOP ON ECOLOGICAL MONITORING OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS

    BARBARA SCHAAL (Chair), Washington University

    DAVID ANDOW, University of Minnesota

    LYNN FREWER, Institute of Food Research, UK

    HENRY GHOLZ, University of Florida

    DONALD MATTISON, March of Dimes

    ALLISON SNOW, Ohio State University

    Science Writer

    ROBERT POOL, Tallahassee, Florida

    Staff

    JOAN ESNAYRA, Study Director

    JENNIFER KUZMA, Program Director

    JILL JOHNSTON, Intern

    DEREK SWEATT, Project Assistant

    ANDREW EASTON, Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2001. Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10068.
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    STANDING COMMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY, HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

    BARBARA SCHAAL (co chair), Washington University

    HAROLD VARMUS (co chair), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

    DAVID ANDOW, University of Minnesota

    NEAL FIRST, University of Wisconsin, Madison

    LYNN FREWER, Institute of Food Research, UK

    HENRY GHOLZ, National Science Foundation/University of Florida

    EDWARD GROTH III, Consumers Union

    ERIC HALLERMAN, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

    CALESTOUS JUMA, Harvard University

    NOEL KEEN, University of California, Riverside

    SAMUEL LEHRER, Tulane University

    J. MICHAEL MCGINNIS, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

    SANFORD MILLER, University of Texas

    PER PINSTRUP-ANDERSEN, International Food Policy Research Institute

    VERNON RUTTAN, University of Minnesota

    ELLEN SILBERGELD, University of Maryland

    ROBERT SMITH, R.E. Smith Consulting

    ALLISON SNOW, Ohio State University

    DIANA WALL, Colorado State University

    Staff

    JENNIFER KUZMA, Program Director

    KIM WADDELL, Project Officer

    DEREK SWEATT, Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2001. Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10068.
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    BOARD ON BIOLOGY

    MICHAEL T. CLEGG (Chair), University of California, Riverside

    PAUL BERG, Stanford University

    JOANNA BURGER, Rutgers University, Piscataway

    DAVID EISENBERG, University of California, Los Angeles

    DAVID J. GALAS, Darwin Technologies, Seattle

    DAVID V. GOEDDEL, Tularik, Inc., San Francisco

    ARTURO GOMEZ-POMPA, University of California, Riverside

    COREY S. GOODMAN, University of California, Berkeley

    CYNTHIA KENYON, University of California, San Francisco

    BRUCE R. LEVIN, Emory University, Atlanta

    ELLIOT M. MEYEROWITZ, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena

    ROBERT T. PAINE, University of Washington, Seattle

    RONALD R. SEDEROFF, North Carolina State University, Raleigh

    ROBERT R. SOKAL, State University of New York, Stony Brook

    SHIRLEY M. TILGHMAN, Princeton University

    RAYMOND L. WHITE, University of Utah, Salt Lake City

    Staff

    RALPH DELL, Acting Director (until August 2000)

    WARREN MUIR, Acting Director (August 2000 through October 2000)

    FRAN SHARPLES, Director

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2001. Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10068.
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    BOARD ON AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

    HARLEY W. MOON (Chair), Iowa State University

    DAVID H. BAKER, University of Illinois

    MAY R. BERENBAUM, University of Illinois

    CORNELIA B. FLORA, Iowa State University

    ROBERT T. FRALEY, Monsanto Company

    ROBERT B. FRIDLEY, University of California, Davis

    W.R. “REG” GOMES, University of California

    PERRY R. HAGENSTEIN, Institute for Forest Analysis, Planning, and Policy

    GEORGE R. HALLBERG, The Cadmus Group, Inc.

    CALESTOUS JUMA, Harvard University

    GILBERT A. LEVEILLE, McNeil Consumer Healthcare

    WHITNEY MACMILLAN, Cargill, Inc.

    WILLIAM L. OGREN, US Department of Agriculture (retired)

    NANCY RACHMAN, Novigen Sciences, Inc.

    G. EDWARD SCHUH, University of Minnesota

    JOHN W. SUTTIE, University of Wisconsin-Madison

    THOMAS N. URBAN, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.

    ROBERT P. WILSON, Mississippi State University

    JAMES J. ZUICHES, Washington State University

    Staff

    DAVID MEEKER, Director

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2001. Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10068.
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    COMMISSIONON LIFE SCIENCES

    MICHAEL T. CLEGG (Chair), University of California, Riverside

    FREDERICK R. ANDERSON, Cadwalder, Wickersham and Taft, Washington, DC

    PAUL BERG, Stanford University

    JOANNA BURGER, Rutgers University

    JAMES CLEAVER, University of California, San Francisco

    DAVID EISENBERG, University of California, Los Angeles

    NEAL L. FIRST, University of Wisconsin, Madison

    DAVID J. GALAS, Darwin Technologies, Seattle

    DAVID V. GOEDDEL, Tularik, Inc., San Francisco

    ARTURO GOMEZ-POMPA, University of California, Riverside

    COREY S. GOODMAN, University of California, Berkeley

    JON W. GORDON, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York

    DAVID G. HOEL, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston

    BARBARA S. HULKA, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

    CYNTHIA J. KENYON, University of California, San Francisco

    BRUCE R. LEVIN, Emory University, Atlanta

    DONALD R. MATTISON, March of Dimes, White Plains

    ELLIOT M. MEYEROWITZ, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena

    ROBERT T. PAINE, University of Washington, Seattle

    RONALD R. SEDEROFF, North Carolina State University, Raleigh

    ROBERT R. SOKAL, State University of New York, Stony Brook

    CHARLES F. STEVENS, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California

    SHIRLEY M. TILGHMAN, Princeton University

    RAYMOND L. WHITE, University of Utah, Salt Lake City

    Staff

    WARREN MUIR, Executive Director

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2001. Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10068.
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Page x

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2001. Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10068.
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Preface

Proponents of agricultural biotechnology believe that genetically modified (GM) crops have the potential to provide great ecological benefits, such as reduced pesticide and land use, as well as agricultural benefits. However, given the rapid emergence of commercial GM crops and the likely increase in their use, many groups have raised concerns about the potential unintended, adverse ecological effects of these crops. Some ecological concerns are enhanced development of pest resistance, cross-pollination with wild relatives, and reductions in beneficial insects or birds. Given those concerns and growing public scrutiny, the US Department of Agriculture asked the National Research Council to convene a workshop to consider the latest in monitoring methods and technologies and to ask—What are the challenges associated with monitoring for ecological effects of GM crops? Is ongoing ecological monitoring of GM crops a useful and informative activity? If so, how should scientifically rigorous monitoring be carried out in the variety of ecological settings in which GM crops are grown?

A workshop planning group was appointed whose membership was taken mostly from the Research Council's Standing Committee on Agricultural Biotechnology, Health and the Environment. The role of the planning group was limited to identifying topics, appropriate speakers, and other participants for the workshop. Persons with diverse perspectives and expertise were invited to give presentations and to serve on discussion panels. Presenters were drawn from industry, academia, government, the sustainable agriculture and other farming communities (see

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2001. Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10068.
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Page xii

appendices). This document is a summary of the workshop and represents a factual recounting of what occurred at the event. The authors of this summary are Robert Pool and Joan Esnayra, neither of whom was a member of the planning group.

This workshop summary has been reviewed for accuracy in draft form by persons who attended the workshop and others chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the Research Council's Report Review Committee. The purposes of this independent review are to assist the Research Council in making the published document as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets institutional standards. We wish to thank the following, who are neither officials nor employees of the Research Council, for participating in the review:

Frederick Ausubel

Bonnie Bowen

Galen Dively

Rebecca Goldburg

Although those listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, it must be emphasized that responsibility for the final content of this document rests entirely with the authors and the National Research Council.

Joan Esnayra

Study Director

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2001. Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10068.
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Contents

Introduction: Keeping Watch on Genetically Modified Crops 1
The Rationale for Ecological Monitoring 4
BOX 1:     Traditional Agriculture and the Environment 8
Scientific Issues in Ecological Monitoring 11
BOX 2:     Solving the Monarch Mystery 16
BOX 3:     Type I Versus Type II Errors 18
Policy Issues in Modeling 21
BOX 4:     Understanding Public Attitudes Toward Transgenic Crops 24
Appendix A:     Agenda 29
Appendix B:     Participant Biographies 33
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2001. Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10068.
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Proponents of agricultural biotechnology believe that genetically modified (GM) crops have the potential to provide great ecological benefits, such as reduced pesticide and land use, as well as agricultural benefits. However, given the rapid emergence of commercial GM crops and the likely increase in their use, many groups have raised concerns about the potential unintended, adverse ecological effects of these crops. Some ecological concerns are enhanced development of pest resistance, crosspollination with wild relatives, and reductions in beneficial insects or birds.

Ecological Monitoring of Genetically Modified Crops considers the latest in monitoring methods and technologies and to asks--What are the challenges associated with monitoring for ecological effects of GM crops? Is ongoing ecological monitoring of GM crops a useful and informative activity? If so, how should scientifically rigorous monitoring be carried out in the variety of ecological settings in which GM crops are grown?

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