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GMOs, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Processes

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GMOs

Part of the book series: Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation ((TOBC,volume 19))

Abstract

Potential impacts of genetically modified (GM) crops on biodiversity is a controversial topic of public interest that comes under scrutiny in the Convention on Biological Diversity. The commercialization of GM crops has delivered global agronomic, economic and social benefits, but it has also raised concerns on the risks to human and environmental health. The current state of knowledge reveals that farmland biodiversity is jeopardized by intensive agricultural practices. The monoculture practice used in the cultivation of GM crops has increased the risk of the emergence of herbicide tolerance and insecticide resistance between weed and insect pest species. This, in turn, may interrupt the food web at different trophic levels. To avoid an overreliance on GM crops, alternative weed control and insect pest management strategies should be considered.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Hong Kong Research Grants Council Area of Excellence Scheme (AoE/M-403/16). JY Chu copy-edited the text.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Bio-Economics and Biotechnology, Department of Bio-Economics and Food Safety, School of Economics and Management, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russian Federation

    Muhammad Amjad Nawaz

  2. Pacific Geographical Institute FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russian Federation

    Kirill S. Golokhvast

  3. N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources, Saint Petersburg, Russia

    Kirill S. Golokhvast

  4. Department of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Aristides M. Tsatsakis

  5. School of Life Sciences and Centre for Soybean Research of the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China

    Hon-Ming Lam

  6. Department of Biotechnology, Chonnam National University, Yeosu, Republic of Korea

    Gyuhwa Chung

Authors
  1. Muhammad Amjad Nawaz
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  2. Kirill S. Golokhvast
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  3. Aristides M. Tsatsakis
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  4. Hon-Ming Lam
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  5. Gyuhwa Chung
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gyuhwa Chung .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Anurag Chaurasia

  2. Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, Kew, Richmond, UK

    David L. Hawksworth

  3. Biosafety and Biosecurity, United Nations Environment Programme, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Manoela Pessoa de Miranda

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Nawaz, M.A., Golokhvast, K.S., Tsatsakis, A.M., Lam, HM., Chung, G. (2020). GMOs, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Processes. In: Chaurasia, A., Hawksworth, D.L., Pessoa de Miranda, M. (eds) GMOs. Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation, vol 19. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53183-6_1

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