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Speaking as a geneticist, these GM traits are the most important tool in our toolbox, and it needs to be rolled out as fast a possible. It's a matter of evolut

Speaking as a geneticist, these GM traits are the most important tool in our toolbox, and it needs to be rolled out as fast a possible. It's a matter of evolution, and stopping resistance. Like HIV, cancer, antibiotics, or any other biologic system, there is a necessity for multiple modes of action. Plants evolve very slowly. This is good. It means they adapt to things like roundup very slowly. It took decades to adapt to glyphosate, and even today it is still widely effective. However, since it is a single mode of action, resistance is inevitable. The trick is that if you increase modes of action, you raise the cost of natural selection to the point that the species simply cannot adapt. Ever. We need glyphosate, 2,4-D AND dicamba resistance, all together so that we can stop any one chemical from being resistant. Stopping resistance means having a full toolbox, and a full effective toolbox means less overall chemicals on fields.

stevenwoo 9y ago
Um, I distinctly remember reading about insects evolving to adapt to changes brought about by humanity in one generation and just quickly did a search and found a study that showed significant plant adaptations within four generations to insect infestations (and immediate changes within one generation) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121004141745.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121004141745.h... So what is the difference between this reported study and what a geneticist means by plants evolve slowly?
- searine 9y ago
  >Um, I distinctly remember reading about insects evolving to adapt to changes brought about by humanity in one generation Literally impossible. Mutations can't magically move to high frequency in one generation. The article you said this 'Plant populations began to diverge significantly in response to insect attack in as few as three to four generations'. Not one. Yes intense single mode-of-action selection can change allele frequencies in a short period of time, but that is much different than adapting to novel challenges. The types of adaptations you are talking about are likely what we call "standing variation". Dormant mutations at intermediate frequency that become fit during intermittent circumstances. Like a stressful year, or a certain predator that comes every decade. In the case of chemicals however, we are dealing with an entirely novel mechanism, with little to no standing variation to draw upon. Thus evolution in this circumstance is slow.

stevenwoo 9y ago

Um, I distinctly remember reading about insects evolving to adapt to changes brought about by humanity in one generation and just quickly did a search and found a study that showed significant plant adaptations within four generations to insect infestations (and immediate changes within one generation) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121004141745.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121004141745.h... So what is the difference between this reported study and what a geneticist means by plants evolve slowly?

searine 9y ago
>Um, I distinctly remember reading about insects evolving to adapt to changes brought about by humanity in one generation Literally impossible. Mutations can't magically move to high frequency in one generation. The article you said this 'Plant populations began to diverge significantly in response to insect attack in as few as three to four generations'. Not one. Yes intense single mode-of-action selection can change allele frequencies in a short period of time, but that is much different than adapting to novel challenges. The types of adaptations you are talking about are likely what we call "standing variation". Dormant mutations at intermediate frequency that become fit during intermittent circumstances. Like a stressful year, or a certain predator that comes every decade. In the case of chemicals however, we are dealing with an entirely novel mechanism, with little to no standing variation to draw upon. Thus evolution in this circumstance is slow.