Environmental Impact Of GMO Crops

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GMO’s affect the biodiversity of crops. Biodiversity is diversity among and within plant and animal species in an environment. It is critical in all ecosystems and to the sustainability of different species of plants and animals. This biodiversity is put at risk by GMO 's. When GMO crops are planted, many of the original seeds from plants are no longer used. This means that there will be no 'original ' plants anymore because they will all be genetically altered in some way. Some examples of alterations that may be done to GMO plants are that they may become genetically altered to resist certain herbicides and pesticides. Any crop that is engineered to be resistant to herbicides or best can affect biodiversity because it could be harmful to …show more content…
Toxicity is a big issue surrounding chemical pesticides and herbicides, which are commonly used with GMO 's. Due to the increase in the use of pesticides in GMO 's this means that there are fewer weeds so there is less nectar for pollinators such as birds and bees. GMOs may be toxic to organisms such as bees and butterflies because they may harm or kill these insects. Bees are very important in the pollination of many food crops and flowers, but they are now endangered due to agricultural techniques, such as GMO crops. Monarch butterflies are also at risk from GMO plants due to a decline in milkweed plants which they consume. Birds are at risk from pesticides since they work as biological control agents and pollinators like bees. These organisms consume these crops which contain pesticides in them which may either harm or kill them. Pesticide-producing crops may also contaminate nearby streams and other bodies of water which can affect aquatic life like fish. If the fish consume these pesticides then they will either die or pass it on to other organisms, such as humans, that consume them. The Bt toxin is a bacteria that is used as a pesticide on GMO crops. The Bt toxins produced by these GMO crops are produced throughout the plant and are the strongest toxins found in nature. Humans may get sick from consuming these crops. The pesticides found in GMO crops may harm beneficial insects, such as bees, and other insects which are not targeted by the GMO crops but they will then develop into pests. Pesticide spraying continues along with the build-up of the really strong Bt toxin in the soil. In addition to soil issues, the irrigation used to grow GM foods carries all of these problems into water sources and into the air. This exposes different bacteria, insects, and animals to the same problems. Most of the plants that humans consume produce toxins at low levels so that they do not produce any serious

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