Topics In-Depth | Radio Programs | Bioremediation & Phytoremediation | B & P Scientists & Research | Microbial Ecology | Biodiversity & Conservation Genetics | Low-Mow Lawns & High-Tech Trees

New discoveries in genetics have produced more questions, and some answers, to key problems in the science of ecology. Discoveries in genetics are made in research and applications from the level of single molecules to that of entire organisms - and from the community level to that of the biosphere.

If you are interested in how the new genetics informs ecology you can start your adventure here. You will also want to check out DNA Marketplace, especially Genes & Food and Patenting DNA.

Last updated: December 7, 2005

Topics In-Depth

• As industry, researchers and environmentalists fight over the science and regulation of environmental biotechnology, observers say they're overlooking some of the public's biggest concerns. Read the article (March 2002).

• Genetic science is lurching toward a new agronomic frontier: forest trees. Read the article (March 2002).

• Forest researchers have taken on a variety of biotechnology projects in the U.S.. Read the article (March 2002).

Radio Programs

• Genetics & Applied Ecology - DNA: Code of the Wild (first distributed November 2001)

• Plants, Animals & Transgenics - A Tomato By Any Other Name (first distributed November 1998)

Bioremediation & Phytoremediation

Bioremediation and phytoremediation are processes by which living organisms degrade hazardous organic components or transform hazardous inorganic components to environmentally safe levels in soils, subsurface materials, water, sludges, and residues.

Genomic science can demonstrate how and why existing plants can be used for these purposes; recombinant DNA technologies are developing new, modified organisms which can accomplish these aims.

• A Citizen's Guide to Phytoremediation and Bioremediation. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  
  These 2-page fact sheets from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cover five questions about each clean up approach: "What is it?," "How does it work?," "Is it safe?," "How long will it take?" and "Why use it?

  • A Citizen's Guide to Phytoremediation (pdf)
  • A Citizen's Guide to Bioremediation (pdf)

• Hazardous Waste Clean-up Information. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  
  Want to get to the nitty-gritty on remediation? This site from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Technology Innovation Office provides technical information on a range of cleanup technologies, including bioremediation and phytoremediation. You can find out about cleanup operations underway around the country, and get a feeling for how scientists, companies and government agencies decide which technology should be used.

• Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research (NABIR) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  
  This agency was set up by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER) to address new ways of cleaning up the DOE's numerous superfund sites - sites contaminated with biologically hazardous materials such as pesticides, metals or oils. The site includes a handy Bioremediation Glossary, as well as descriptions of NABIR projects and a page of links to other bioremediation web sites.

• First plant genome sequenced. Nature, December 14, 2000
  
  The announcement of the genetic sequencing of a weed related to mustard, Arabidopsis thaliana, triggered excitement among ecologists and geneticists. The plant is crucial to understanding key community and remedial functions.

Bioremediation & Phytoremediation Scientists & Research

The following three articles, which appear in specialized scientific journals, illustrate how genetic science is expanding knowledge and application of bioremediation and phytoremediation.

• Field applications of genetically engineered microorganisms for bioremediation processes. Gary S Sayler, Steven Ripp. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 2000, 11:286-289
  
  Genetically modified microbes could be effective pollution-eaters - but how will we know without trying them out in the field? The authors review the scientific literature and discuss the problem of environmental release.

• Engineering radiation-resistant bacteria for environmental biotechnology. Michael J Daly. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 2000, 11:280-285
  
  Enormous amounts of soil and ground water have been contaminated by leaking radioactive waste generated in the U.S. during the Cold War. Scientists are working on a genetically engineered variant of the radiation-resistant bacterium, Deinococcus radiodurans, in an attempt to clean up the mess.

• Phytoremediation of toxic elemental and organic pollutants. Richard B Meagher. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 2000, 3:153-162
  
  When it comes to sucking contaminants out of the soil, some plants are naturally good at the job, and some can be encouraged through genetic manipulation. Meagher reviews the scientific work in the field of phytoremediation.

Microbial Ecology

• USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: Phytophthora ramorum
  
  Genetics is a key weapon in the fight against the infectious agent that has put many California oak trees in peril. Scientists sequenced the genome of the microbe that causes Sudden Oak Death, in an effort to develop ways to detect, track and treat the disease.

• International Society for Microbial Ecology
  
  The International Society for Microbial Ecology answers the question "What is microbial ecology?" on an education-friendly site that offers topics on ecology, evolution and phytoremediation; a feature on "the microbe of the month"; and links for further info on microbes and ecology.

• TIGR Comprehensive Microbial Resource. U.S. Department of Energy
  
  Genomics resource on microbes sequenced so far. On this site, you can discover whether a particular gene has been sequenced — and see the sequence of As, Ts, Gs and Cs of that gene, or the entire genome, on your own computer screen.

• Microbe Zoo
  
  Learn more about microbial ecology at the Microbe Zoo. An interactive educational site from the Center for Microbial Ecology at Michigan State University.

Biodiversity & Conservation Genetics

• What is conservation genetics? Genetic Science Learning Center
  
  You'll find this introductory article at the Genetic Science Learning Center, a student-oriented site set up by the University of Utah. It provides a basic overview of the field and the kinds of questions asked by scientists.

• Tree of Life
  
  Use this searchable site to learn about different species, from archaea to mammals, and discover how they fit into the evolutionary tree of life.

• Conservation Genetics In The Age Of Genomics. American Museum of Natural History
  
  For a good overview of conservation genetics, take a look at these transcripts from an international symposium at the American Museum of Natural History's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the spring of 2001.

• Bioneers Restorative Resources Directory. The Bioneers Collective Heritage Institute
  
  The Bioneers organize a yearly conference dedicated to cultural and environmental diversity. Their site offers over 100 links to conservation organizations concerned with biodiversity and wildlife conservation.

• Center for Biological Diversity
  
  This organization of biodiversity activists in the western U.S. posts action alerts as well as information about legal strategies and scientific information on conservation biology that promote its goal of protecting endangered species through science, policy, education and environmental law.

• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC)
  
  The WCMC is the world biodiversity information and assessment center of the United Nations Environment Programme. On this site, you can browse through the information that the WCMC provides to organizations and goverments for policy-making and environmental action.

• The World Conservation Union (IUCN)
  
  For more than half a century IUCN has engaged state and government members, non-government organizations and scientists from around the world in conservation issues. The group takes a global approach to conserving biodiversity. Their site includes news, resource and publication lists, articles and weblinks - and many contain information on genetics. Make sure to see the famous IUCN "redlist" of species threatened with extinction.

• Cloning Noah's Ark. Scientific American, November 2000
  
  Cloning might be one tool for preserving endangered species, say the authors of this article (two of whom have positions at Advanced Cell Technology, a private company which is working on animal cloning). Paid-access article.

• Invasivespeciesinfo.gov
  
  This site is the gateway to federal efforts concerning invasive species. On this site you can learn about the impacts of invasive species and the federal government's response. You can find many federal documents on the site, including President Clinton's February 3, 1999, executive order on invasive species.

• Convention on Biological Diversity
  
  Read about the progress of the Convention on Biological Diversity, including the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which addresses genetic engineering in the context of issues such as genetic resources and alien species that threaten ecosystems.

• Whale Carcass Yields Bone-Devouring Worms
  
  Genetic analysis of two newly discovered worm species revealed some startling facts. The two species were discovered on the same whale carcass; they had characteristics similar to each other, and different from those of any other known animal. Yet their DNA shows that their closest common ancestor lived 42 million years ago. Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute are continuing to study this fascinating colony.

Low-Mow Lawns & High-Tech Trees

Genetic modification may be coming to a suburban lawn or a timber forest near you. Some of the world's largest paper and lumber producers hope to commercialize genetically modified trees — and soon. The companies are looking at ways to produce trees that can be made more efficiently into paper, or that are resistant to pests, insecticides or herbicides.

Meanwhile, other researchers are working to create slower-growing and tougher grass than the species normally used now.

In both cases, opponents suggest that there may be costs in terms of biodiversity, as well as other undesirable consequences for the environment - and the companies counter that their engineered plants will actually have less negative impact.

• Tree Biotechnology 2005
  
  Who are the key players in tree biotechnology? Find out here, on the website for a conference of tree geneticists in 2005, sponsored by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, a non-profit, non-governmental international network of forest scientists. Also check out the proceedings from the previous year's conference, Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding in the Age of Genomics: Progress and Future. For a list of similar meetings, go to the Dendrome Project at the University of California, Davis.

• Genetically Engineered Trees, Sierra Club
  
  The Sierra Club, one of the United States' most prominent environmental advocacy organizations, presents its critical take on tree biotechnology.

• Office of Industrial Technology R&D Portfolio. U.S. Department of Energy
  
  This page lists U.S. Department of Energy-funded biotech forestry projects and participants, with a link to a description of the work.

• Tree Genomics, Biotechnology and Breeding Program at Oregon State University
  
  Info on current projects such as glyphosate-tolerant trees and genetic risk analysis including specific protocols and a set of links.

• The Institute of Forest Biotechnology
  
  A project of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center to identify and promote key areas of societal, ecological and genetic research on genetically engineered forest trees. Includes programs and activities on ethics and education to address the "benefits, applications, issues and risks of forest biotechnology."

• "Mowless" Grass, Holy Grail of Lawns, Is Still a Long Way Off
  
  The lawn industry's search for low-maintenance turfgrass has gone on for decades, growing as slowly as the product it's trying to develop. Meanwhile, despite worries from environmentalists, pesticide-resistant grass has become a reality, as this unabashedly pro-biotech 2003 article from the journal Grounds Maintenance explains.

• Plant Growth Regulators and Biotechnology
  
  Peggy Lemaux of the University of California, Berkeley, provides a scientific explanation of plant growth regulators, the organic compounds that some agricultural companies hope to control in order to change the characteristics of crops.

• UC Biotech. University of California at Berkeley
  
  The University of California at Berkeley biotech website is a valuable resource for anyone interested in researching the scientific literature on biotech crops and ecology. It contains a searchable database of all published articles relating to biotech crops.