Genetic pollution

Introduction Genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) have been very import and very controversial because of the great things they do, and the potential harm they may cause. GMO’s are categorized as a plant or animal who’s genes have been purposely changed to unnaturally adapt it (Siegel and Verity). Are GMO’s dangerous to humanity? Some people think so, and they argue against the integration of GMO’s in our food industry. While opponents may think that GMO’s belong in a laboratory, other people…

For example a potato contains glycoalkaloid and there are recorded incidents of human poisoning. Celery contains a natural chemical that turns toxic when exposed to sunlight. “So, the normal kind of breeding can produce risks, just as any other genetic or other kinds of breeding can produce risks.” [Hotchkiss] This is why we must use a common sense approach to labeling. We cannot label everything. Additives that are toxic or known allergens are prohibited and prohibited ingredients would…

An invasive species is an organism that is not native and has negative effects on an economy, environment and health of an individual. Moreover, an invasive species can be a plant, animal or other organisms that might create negative impacts to the society. Furthermore, the definition can further be enumerated as a species that is non-native to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction creates results that are inefficient to those surrounding it. The impacts that are often created…

“Invasive species” refers to an ‘alien species’ whose introduction ‘does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm, or harm to human health.’ Although this is a species that is not native to a particular ecosystem, it is important to realise that not all non-native species are invasive. A ‘native’ species is one which is found within a particular region. An invasive species has the potential to influence a wide range of areas, including; environmental, economic and social factors.…

Exotic animals are constantly being conformed to becoming something that they would never be. People all over the world try to train wild animals as having the behavior of a domestic animal. This can be dangerous to the human given the fact that there are over thousands of years of evolution between a domestic animal and a wild animal. The dangers are eminent and unpredictable and people need to realize what they are trying to do is impossible and not to mention dangerous to their health and…

Non-Native and Native Species Did you know that there are at least 212 non-native species in San Francisco alone. Many of you might not know what a non-native species is. Well, a non-native species is a a type of organism living outside its native distribution area which has been due to human activity, while a native species are organisms that normally live and thrive in a particular habitat or community. But there is one other type, a non-native invasive species. A non-native invasive…

Fundamentally, genetically modified organisms are foods that would never occur through natural cross breeding. It takes a genetic laboratory to splice foreign genes into a plant or animal to create a new trait or traits that could never occur in nature on its own. This type of gene splicing can introduce plant produced pesticides as well as an interspecies transfer of genetic traits from organisms such as bacteria, insects, or animals. A genetically modified tomato, for example, has been…

Throughout history, humans have created many divisions between race, gender, wealth etc., each division separating ‘us’ from ‘them’. In the same way, a division between humans and nature has been socially constructed to divide the “western society” and the “other.” From these constructions, the term ‘wild’ has come to attribute primeval and savage characteristics to nature and animals living within nature. It is common to consider animals that life in nature to be ‘wildlife,’ yet using this…

1. Shen X, Bourg NA, McShea WJ, Turner BJ. 2016. Long-term effects of white-tailed deer exclusion on the invasion of exotic plants: a case study in a mid-atlantic temperate forest. PLoS ONE. 11(3): 1-16. This article examines the impacts of white-tailed deer browsing on invasive plant species, both of these are biotic stressors that impact many forest ecosystems. Researchers in this study used a 4 hectare deer exclosure built in 1991 to study the influence of white-tailed deer, on the abundance…

Studies have been done on the control mechanism of Phragmites. Crowe, Leclerc, Struger, & Brown (2011) did a study on glyphosate-based herbicide application on Phragmites near Georgian Bay beaches. The application of herbicides is not suggested near bodies of water, but this study used herbicide concentration below the Canadian water quality guideline for the protection of aquatic species (Crowe, Leclerc, Struger, & Brown, 2011). This study reduced the size of Phragmites by 90%, although it did…