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Can Leaf Litter from Genetically Modified Trees Affect Aquatic Ecosystems?

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Abstract

In addition to potential benefits, biotechnology in silviculture may also be associated with environmental considerations, including effects on organisms associated with the living tree and on ecosystems and processes dependent on tree residue. We examined whether genetic modification of lignin characteristics (CAD and COMT) in Populus sp. affected leaf litter quality, the decomposition of leaf litter, and the assemblages of aquatic insects colonizing the litter in three natural streams. The decomposition of leaf litter from one of the genetically modified (GM) lines (CAD) was affected in ways that were comparable over streams and harvest dates. After 84 days in streams, CAD-litter had lost approximately 6.1% less mass than the non-GM litter. Genetic modification also affected the concentration of phenolics and carbon in the litter but this only partially explained the decomposition differences, suggesting that other factors were also involved. Insect community analyses comparing GM and non-GM litter showed no significant differences, and the two GM litters showed differences only in the 84-day litterbags. The total abundance and species richness of insects were also similar on GM and non-GM litter. The results presented here suggest that genetic modifications in trees can influence litter quality and thus have a potential to generate effects that can cross ecosystem boundaries and influence ecosystem processes not directly associated with the tree. Overall, the realized ecological effects of the GM tree varieties used here were nevertheless shown to be relatively small.

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Acknowledgement

This study was supported by FORMAS (grant to J. Hjältén). We are also grateful of Magnus Lindberg for skilled insect identification and of two anonymous reviewers for insightful comments on a previous version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 90183, Umeå, Sweden

    E. Petter Axelsson & Joakim Hjältén

  2. Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington, 98505, USA

    Carri J. LeRoy

  3. Department of Biology, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, Joensuu, 80101, Finland

    Riitta Julkunen-Tiitto

  4. Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, 90187, Umeå, Sweden

    Anders Wennström

  5. INRA, UR0588, Amélioration Génétique et Physiologie Forestières, CS 40001 Ardon, 45075, Orléans Cedex 2, France

    Gilles Pilate

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  1. E. Petter Axelsson
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  2. Joakim Hjältén
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  3. Carri J. LeRoy
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  4. Riitta Julkunen-Tiitto
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  5. Anders Wennström
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  6. Gilles Pilate
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Correspondence to E. Petter Axelsson.

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Author Contributions

PA, JH, AW and CL designed the study. PA, JH performed the research and analyzed the data. RJT performed chemical analyses and GP provided the plant material. All authors contributed significantly to the interpretation of the data and writing of the paper.

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Axelsson, E.P., Hjältén, J., LeRoy, C.J. et al. Can Leaf Litter from Genetically Modified Trees Affect Aquatic Ecosystems?. Ecosystems 13, 1049–1059 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-010-9373-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-010-9373-y

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