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Dolezel M, Lang A, Greiter A, Miklau M, Eckerstorfer M, Heissenberger A, Willée E, Züghart W. Challenges for the Post-Market Environmental Monitoring in the European Union Imposed by Novel Applications of Genetically Modified and Genome-Edited Organisms. BIOTECH 2024; 13:14. [PMID: 38804296 PMCID: PMC11130885 DOI: 10.3390/biotech13020014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Information on the state of the environment is important to achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal, including the EU's Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The existing regulatory provisions for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) foresee an obligatory post-market environmental monitoring (PMEM) of potential adverse effects upon release into the environment. So far, GMO monitoring activities have focused on genetically modified crops. With the advent of new genomic techniques (NGT), novel GMO applications are being developed and may be released into a range of different, non-agricultural environments with potential implications for ecosystems and biodiversity. This challenges the current monitoring concepts and requires adaptation of existing monitoring programs to meet monitoring requirements. While the incorporation of existing biodiversity monitoring programs into GMO monitoring at the national level is important, additional monitoring activities will also be required. Using case examples, we highlight that monitoring requirements for novel GMO applications differ from those of GM crop plants previously authorized for commercial use in the European Union.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Dolezel
- Land Use & Biosafety Unit, Umweltbundesamt–Environment Agency Austria (EAA), Spittelauer Laende 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.G.); (M.M.); (M.E.); (A.H.)
| | - Andreas Lang
- Büro Lang, Hoernlehof, Gresgen 108, 79669 Zell im Wiesental, Germany;
- Research Group Environmental Geosciences, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Bernoullistr. 30, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anita Greiter
- Land Use & Biosafety Unit, Umweltbundesamt–Environment Agency Austria (EAA), Spittelauer Laende 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.G.); (M.M.); (M.E.); (A.H.)
| | - Marianne Miklau
- Land Use & Biosafety Unit, Umweltbundesamt–Environment Agency Austria (EAA), Spittelauer Laende 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.G.); (M.M.); (M.E.); (A.H.)
| | - Michael Eckerstorfer
- Land Use & Biosafety Unit, Umweltbundesamt–Environment Agency Austria (EAA), Spittelauer Laende 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.G.); (M.M.); (M.E.); (A.H.)
| | - Andreas Heissenberger
- Land Use & Biosafety Unit, Umweltbundesamt–Environment Agency Austria (EAA), Spittelauer Laende 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.G.); (M.M.); (M.E.); (A.H.)
| | - Eva Willée
- Division of Terrestrial Monitoring, Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Konstantinstr. 110, 53179 Bonn, Germany (W.Z.)
| | - Wiebke Züghart
- Division of Terrestrial Monitoring, Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Konstantinstr. 110, 53179 Bonn, Germany (W.Z.)
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Pott A, Bundschuh M, Otto M, Schulz R. Assessing Effects of Genetically Modified Plant Material on the Aquatic Environment Using higher-tier Studies. BULLETIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2023; 110:35. [PMID: 36592218 DOI: 10.1007/s00128-022-03678-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Genetically modified organisms are used extensively in agriculture. To assess potential side effects of genetically modified (GM) plant material on aquatic ecosystems, only a very small number of higher-tier studies have been performed. At the same time, these studies are particularly important for comprehensive risk assessment covering complex ecological relationships. Here we evaluate the methods of experimental higher-tier effect studies with GM plant material (or Bt toxin) in comparison to those well-established for pesticides. A major difference is that nominal test concentrations and thus dose-response relationships cannot easily be produced with GM plant material. Another important difference, particularly to non-systemic pesticides, is that aquatic organisms are exposed to GM plant material primarily through their feed. These and further differences in test requirements, compared with pesticides, call for a standardisation for GM-specific higher-tier study designs to assess their potentially complex effects in the aquatic ecosystems comprehensively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia Pott
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, iES Landau, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany.
- Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Konstantinstrasse 110, 53179, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Mirco Bundschuh
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, iES Landau, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lennart Hjelms väg 9, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mathias Otto
- Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Konstantinstrasse 110, 53179, Bonn, Germany
| | - Ralf Schulz
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, iES Landau, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany
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Pott A, Bundschuh M, Bundschuh R, Otto M, Schulz R. Effect of Bt toxin Cry1Ab on two freshwater caddisfly shredders - an attempt to establish dose-effect relationships through food-spiking. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5262. [PMID: 32210265 PMCID: PMC7093423 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62055-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which produce Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins, are widely used in agriculture in some parts of the world. Despite this, ecotoxicological methods, tailored to GMOs, are lacking to assess effects on aquatic environments. With the objective to investigate a food-related exposure pathway for aquatic shredders, we used a new food-spiking method while caddisfly larvae (Chaetopteryx spec., Sericostoma spec.) served as test species. Pure Cry1Ab toxins were spiked on black alder leaf discs and subsequently used in a feeding experiment. The toxin did not influence larval mortality compared to the control. The results, however, showed significant effects on larval lipid content (Chaetopteryx spec.) and development (Sericostoma spec.) at concentrations of 17.2 and 132.4 ng Cry1Ab/mg leaf, respectively. These changes are indicative for impacts on the fitness of the specimen and thus relevant in a risk assessment context. Ultimately, the food-spiking method allowed applying different Bt toxin concentrations leading to the establishment of dose-response relationships for various response variables. The use of long test durations and sublethal endpoints (consumption, lipid content, growth, larval instars) is, moreover, advisable when testing GMO effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia Pott
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany. .,Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Konstantinstrasse 110, 53179, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Mirco Bundschuh
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany.,Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7050, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Rebecca Bundschuh
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany
| | - Mathias Otto
- Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Konstantinstrasse 110, 53179, Bonn, Germany
| | - Ralf Schulz
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany
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Pott A, Otto M, Schulz R. Impact of genetically modified organisms on aquatic environments: Review of available data for the risk assessment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 635:687-698. [PMID: 29680759 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 03/31/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The aquatic environment is strongly connected to the surrounding agricultural landscapes, which regularly serve as sources of stressors such as agrochemicals. Genetically modified crops, which are cultivated on a large scale in many countries, may also act as stressors. Despite the commercial use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for over 20years, their impact on the aquatic environment came into focus only 10years ago. We present the status quo of the available scientific data in order to provide an input for informed aquatic risk assessment of GMOs. We could identify only 39 publications, including 84 studies, dealing with GMOs in the aquatic environment, and our analysis shows substantial knowledge gaps. The available information is restricted to a small number of crop plants, traits, events, and test organisms. The analysis of effect studies reveals that only a narrow range of organisms has been tested and that studies on combinatorial actions of stressors are virtually absent. The analysis of fate studies shows that many aspects, such as the fate of leached toxins, degradation of plant material, and distribution of crop residues in the aquatic habitat, are insufficiently investigated. Together with these research needs, we identify standardization of test methods as an issue of high priority, both for research and risk assessment needed for GMO regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia Pott
- Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Konstantinstrasse 110, 53179 Bonn, Germany; Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829 Landau, Germany.
| | - Mathias Otto
- Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Konstantinstrasse 110, 53179 Bonn, Germany
| | - Ralf Schulz
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829 Landau, Germany
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Hilbeck A, Bundschuh R, Bundschuh M, Hofmann F, Oehen B, Otto M, Schulz R, Trtikova M. Procedure to select test organisms for environmental risk assessment of genetically modified crops in aquatic systems. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2017; 13:974-979. [PMID: 28755496 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.1965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2017] [Revised: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
For a long time, the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of genetically modified (GM) crops focused mainly on terrestrial ecosystems. This changed when it was scientifically established that aquatic ecosystems are exposed to GM crop residues that may negatively affect aquatic species. To assist the risk assessment process, we present a tool to identify ecologically relevant species usable in tiered testing prior to authorization or for biological monitoring in the field. The tool is derived from a selection procedure for terrestrial ecosystems with substantial but necessary changes to adequately consider the differences in the type of ecosystems. By using available information from the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), the procedure can draw upon existing biological data on aquatic systems. The proposed procedure for aquatic ecosystems was tested for the first time during an expert workshop in 2013, using the cultivation of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize as the GM crop and 1 stream type as the receiving environment in the model system. During this workshop, species executing important ecological functions in aquatic environments were identified in a stepwise procedure according to predefined ecological criteria. By doing so, we demonstrated that the procedure is practicable with regard to its goal: From the initial long list of 141 potentially exposed aquatic species, 7 species and 1 genus were identified as the most suitable candidates for nontarget testing programs. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:974-979. © 2017 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelika Hilbeck
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Institute of Integrative Biology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rebecca Bundschuh
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Mirco Bundschuh
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Frieder Hofmann
- Ökologiebüro TIEM Integrated Environmental Monitoring GbR, Bremen, Germany
| | - Bernadette Oehen
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Institute of Integrative Biology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mathias Otto
- German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Bonn, Germany
| | - Ralf Schulz
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Miluse Trtikova
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Institute of Integrative Biology, Zurich, Switzerland
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