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Anders Sandberg writes:
> Sure, if everybody is using (say) bacillus thuringensis-based > gm crops, then the evolutionary pressure for resistant pests will be > very high and we can count on them appearing - parasitic relationships > force both parts into a co-evolutionary spiral, and we humans better > be a part of it for the species we like.
What about the species we dont like ?
If a species natural parasites can no longer successfully feed off it,
they will adapt in 2 ways - 1 to overcome the gm plants defeneses and 2
into any other ecological niches they can.
This will lead to a spiral of new gm crops and new parasites (which is
fine if our labs can keep up) - but there will also be a spill over of
the new resistant parasites onto plants which are not genetically
modified. How do you protect the wild plants in this scenario ?
> It is likely better to have several different forms of pest
resistance, so that no
> single resistant pest can take out all the plants and the pressure
towards resistance > will be weakened. How to promote this diversity
economically is an interesting
> extropian question.
Agreed. This would help a lot, but I'm not sure that commercial companies would be so willing to promote the necessary diversity.
On a related topic the EU looks to be moving to ban antibiotics in animal feed and sprayed onto fruit for similar reasons.
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Anders Sandberg writes:
> Sure, if everybody is using (say) =
bacillus thuringensis-based
> gm crops, then the evolutionary pressure for =
resistant pests will be
> very high and we can count on them appearing - =
parasitic relationships
> force both parts into a co-evolutionary spiral, =
and we humans better
> be a part of it for the species we like.
What about the species we dont like ?
If a species natural parasites can no longer =
successfully feed off it, they will adapt in 2 ways - 1 to overcome the =
gm plants defeneses and 2 into any other ecological niches they =
can.
This will lead to a spiral of new gm crops and new = parasites (which is fine if our labs can keep up) - but there will also = be a spill over of the new resistant parasites onto plants which are = not genetically modified. How do you protect the wild plants in = this scenario ?
> It is likely better to have several =
different forms of pest resistance, so that no
> single resistant pest can take out all the =
plants and the pressure towards resistance > will be weakened. How =
to promote this diversity economically is an interesting
> extropian question.
Agreed. This would help a lot, but I'm not =
sure that commercial companies would be so willing to promote the =
necessary diversity.
On a related topic the EU looks to be moving to ban = antibiotics in animal feed and sprayed onto fruit for similar = reasons.