Centers
Grants and Publications
Interdisciplinary BIC Grant
The Biotechnology Impacts Center was awarded a $1.5 million Biocomplexity Grant from the National Science Foundation for the period August 2004 through August 2008 for an interdisciplinary project titled: Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Engineered Crop Genes: Natural and Human Constraints and Consequences. Gene flow is the successful movement of genes from one population to another. Crop gene flow is mediated both by natural processes such as wind dispersal of pollen and by human processes such as the delivery of seeds to fields to be planted. Prior studies have focused on gene flow at the local and landscape scale, but they generally neglect gene flow on the multinational scale. However, the controversy surrounding engineered genes (transgenes) has raised awareness that new alleles can move rapidly and over great distances.
Genetically Modified Plants: unmodified plant [left]
and Transgenic (genetically engineered) plant [right]
This project aims to study and hopefully predict crop gene dispersal by developing a global model that can be generalized to describe the spread of any plant allele - transgenic or not - as constrained by human and natural processes. Because the topic of transgene flow is a part of the greater public discussion of genetic engineering and subject to science-based regulatory scrutiny, the results of this study will provide scientific input to inform both lay audiences and policy makers at both the national and international levels.
Principal investigators for the grant are:
- Norman C Ellstrand
- David A Cleveland
- Bai-Lian Li
- Alan McHughen
- Richard C Sutch
Additional information on this project can be found on the NSF site.
Key BIC Publications
Hutch R (2008) Henry Agard Wallace, the Iowa Corn Yield Tests, and the Adoption of Hybrid Corn. NBER Working Paper No. 14141. http://www.nber.org/papers/w14141.
Schoen DJ, Reichman JR, Ellstrand NC (2008) Transgene escape monitoring, population genetics, and the law. BioScience 58 (1):71-77.
Medvinsky AB, Gonik MM, Tyutyunov YV, Li BL, Rusakov AV, and Malchow H (2008) Insecticidal Bt crops under massive Bt-resistant pest invasion: mathematical simulation. pp. 81-94. In R. J. Hosking and E. Venturino (eds.), Aspects of Mathematical Modelling. Birkhäuser, Basel.
Ellstrand NC, Garner LC, Hegde S, Guadagnuolo R, Blancas L (2007) Spontaneous hybridization between maize and teosinte. Journal of Heredity 98: 183-187. HubMed
Medvinsky AB, Gonik MM, Li BL, and Malchow H (2007) Beyond Bt resistance of pests in the context of population dynamical complexity. Ecological Complexity 4: 201-211.
Ellstrand NC (2006) Genetic engineering and pollen flow. University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Genetic Engineering Fact Sheet 5. Agricultural Biotechnology in California Series. #8182. [pdf]
Ellstrand NC (2006) When crop transgenes wander in California, should we worry? California Agriculture 60: 116-118, 121-125.
Guadagnuolo R, Clegg J, Ellstrand NC (2006) Relative fitness of transgenic vs. non-transgenic maize x teosinte hybrids, a field evaluation. Ecological Applications 16:1967-1974.
Medvinsky AB, Gonik MM, Li BL, Velkov VV, and Malchow H (2006) Invasion of pests resistant to Bt toxins lead to inherent non-uniqueness in genetically modified Bt-plant dynamics: mathematical modeling. Journal of Theoretical Biology 242: 539-546. HubMed
Ellstrand NC (2005) Good enough for U.S., good enough for Mexico? Chicago Tribune. Sunday April 3, 2005: Section 2: p.1 + p. 4.
Medvinsky AB, Gonik MM, Velkov VV, Li BL, and Malchow H (2005) Modeling invasion of pests resistant to Bt toxins produced by genetically modified plants: recessive versus dominant invaders. Natural Resource Modeling 18 (3): 347-362.
Medvinsky AB, Morozov AY, Velkov VV, Li BL, Sokolov MS, and Malchow H (2004) Modeling the invasion of recessive Bt resistant insects: an impact on transgenic plants. Journal of Theoretical Biology 231: 121-127.
Ellstrand NC (2003) Dangerous Liaisons? When Cultivated Plants Mate with Their Wild Relatives. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD. (Hardcover)
Ellstrand NC (2003) Going to “Great Lengths” to prevent the escape of genes that produce specialty chemicals. Plant Physiology. 132:1770-1774. HubMed
Ellstrand NC, Hegde S (2002) Transgenic crop plants and the environment: benefits and risks. Benefits and risks of food biotechnology. California Council on Science and Technology: Sacramento. Pp. 83-98.
Ellstrand NC (2001) When transgenes wander, should we worry? Plant Physiology 125:1543-1545. HubMed