High-Tech Harvest: Genetic Engineering

and the Environment

California Education and the Environment InitiativeVisual Aids

Biology StandardB.5.c.

B

California Education and the Environment InitiativeApproved by the California State Board of Education, 2010

The Education and the Environment Initiative Curriculum is a cooperative endeavor of the following entities:California Environmental Protection Agency

California Natural Resources Agency

California State Board of Education

California Department of Education

Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle)

Key Partners:Special thanks to Heal the Bay, sponsor of the EEI law, for their partnership

and participation in reviewing portions of the EEI curriculum.

Valuable assistance with maps, photos, videos and design was provided by the

National Geographic Society under a contract with the State of California.

Office of Education and the Environment1001 I Street • Sacramento, California 95814 • (916) 341-6769

http://www.CaliforniaEEI.org

© Copyright 2011 by the California Environmental Protection Agency© 2013 Second Edition

All rights reserved. This publication, or parts thereof, may not be used or reproduced without

permission from the Office of Education and the Environment.

These materials may be reproduced by teachers for educational purposes.

Lesson 1 Super Rice in California

1 Growth of Genetically Modified Crops Since 1996 2

2 Types of Genetically Modified Crops 3

Lesson 2 Taking Genes, Making Products

3 Selective Breeding for Mini-Watermelons 4

4 Genetically Engineered Corn 1 5

5 Genetically Engineered Corn 2 6

Lesson 3 Down on the Pharm

6 Influences of Genetically Engineered Products 7

Lesson 4 Going Beyond the Field

7 Going Beyond the Field: Group Instructions 8

8 Going Beyond the Field 9

Lesson 5 Return to Super Rice

9 Discussion/Notes Guide 10

Lesson 6 Making Decisions about Genetic Engineering

10 Making Decisions about Pharm Rice 11

Contents

2 CALIFORNIA EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE I Unit B.5.c. I High-Tech Harvest: Genetic Engineering and the Environment I Visual Aids

VA #1 Growth of Genetically Modified Crops Since 1996

The year 2005 marked the 10th anniversary of the commercialization of genetically modified (GM) crops. More than half of the biotech harvest is grown in the U.S.

Growth of Genetically Modified Crops Since 1996

Visual Aid1

Source: Clive James, ISAAA Briefs No. 34, Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2005; www.isaaa.org

90TOTAL

56.1INDUSTRIAL

NATIONS

33.9DEVELOPING

NATIONS

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

02005200420032002200120001999199819971996

Global Area ofGM Crops

MIL

LIO

NS

OF

HE

CT

AR

ES

(1 M

ILL

ION

HE

CT

AR

ES

=2

.47

MIL

LIO

N A

CR

ES

CALIFORNIA EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE I Unit B.5.c. I High-Tech Harvest: Genetic Engineering and the Environment I Visual Aids 3

Types of Genetically Modified Crops

Visual Aid

VA #2 Types of Genetically Modified Crops

2

The Most Common GM CropsSoybeans, corn, cotton, and canola were the dominant GM crops in 2005, covering 30% of the 299 million hectares devoted to these four commodities.

Lighter colors and percentages indicate the portion of the crop that is genetically modified.

How They Are Modified Virtually all GM soybeans and canola planted in 2005 were herbicide-tolerant; corn and cotton were herbicide-tolerant or insect-resistant, or both.

91

150

100

50

0

CANOLACOTTONCORNSOYBEANS

MIL

LIO

NS

OF

HE

CT

AR

ES

(1 M

ILL

ION

HE

CT

AR

ES

=2

.47

MIL

LIO

N A

CR

ES

147

3526

60%

31%

14%

28%

18%

54.4

50

40

30

20

10

0

CANOLACOTTONCORNSOYBEANS

MIL

LIO

NS

OF

HE

CT

AR

ES

(1 M

ILL

ION

HE

CT

AR

ES

=2

.47

MIL

LIO

N A

CR

ES

21.2

9.8

4.6

Herbicide Tolerance

Insect Resistance

Both

6.5

11.3

3.4

3.6

4.9

1.3

Source: Clive James, ISAAA Briefs No. 34, Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2005; www.isaaa.org

4 CALIFORNIA EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE I Unit B.5.c. I High-Tech Harvest: Genetic Engineering and the Environment I Visual Aids

VA #3 Selective Breeding for Mini-Watermelons

First generation of watermelons: Includes a variety of sizes; some are large, some are medium sized, and some are small.

Breeders plant only the seeds from the mini-watermelons.

Second generation of watermelons: Produces a crop that is tending toward smaller melons but still has a few large watermelons.

Breeders again plant seeds from only the mini-watermelons.

Third generation crop: Consists almost entirely of mini-watermelons.

And so on…

Selective Breeding for Mini-Watermelons

Visual Aid3

CALIFORNIA EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE I Unit B.5.c. I High-Tech Harvest: Genetic Engineering and the Environment I Visual Aids 5

VA #4 Genetically Engineered Corn 1

Step 1: Select the Bt gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).

Step 2: Add a marker gene (such as a gene for resistance to antibiotics) to the Bt gene. Cut the ends with a restriction enzyme.

Step 3: Use a restriction enzyme to cut open a plasmid, creating a place to insert the marker/Bt genes.

Step 4: Mix the marker/Bt genes with the open plasmids. Use ligase to connect the DNA.

Genetically Engineered Corn 1

Visual Aid4

Bt gene

Marker (antibiotic resistance gene) Bt gene

+

6 CALIFORNIA EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE I Unit B.5.c. I High-Tech Harvest: Genetic Engineering and the Environment I Visual Aids

VA #5 Genetically Engineered Corn 2

Step 5: Insert the plasmids into corn cells.

Step 6: Test the treated cells with an antibiotic. Only cells that have been transformed, or contain the marker gene and the Bt gene, will survive.

Step 7: Grow the surviving transgenic cells into plants. The plants produced from the seeds of these plants will produce the Bt toxin that kills insects.

Genetically Engineered Corn 2

Visual Aid5

CALIFORNIA EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE I Unit B.5.c. I High-Tech Harvest: Genetic Engineering and the Environment I Visual Aids 7

Influences of Genetically Engineered Products

Visual Aid6

VA #6 Influences of Genetically Engineered Products

Genetically Engineered Product

Natural Systems Biological Diversity Human Health

Bt corn

Malaria-resistant mosquitoes

8 CALIFORNIA EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE I Unit B.5.c. I High-Tech Harvest: Genetic Engineering and the Environment I Visual Aids

VA #7 Going Beyond the Field: Group Instructions

Read the information provided describing a modern genetically engineered product. Then discuss the following with your group members:

■ ■■ Describe the genetically engineered product. How is it different from a non-genetically engineered organism?

■ ■■ What was the reason, or rationale, for genetically engineering this organism?

■ ■■ What are the effects of this product on natural systems, biological diversity, and human health?

Create a two- to three-minute presentation for the rest of the class that addresses these points.

Going Beyond the Field: Group Instructions

Visual Aid7

CALIFORNIA EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE I Unit B.5.c. I High-Tech Harvest: Genetic Engineering and the Environment I Visual Aids 9

Going Beyond the Field

Visual Aid8

VA #8 Going Beyond the Field

Genetically Engineered Product

Natural Systems Biological Diversity Human Health

Biofuels/ Microdiesel

Toxic- avenger trees

Vaccines in food

Anthrax vaccine from tobacco

Animals

Golden rice

10 CALIFORNIA EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE I Unit B.5.c. I High-Tech Harvest: Genetic Engineering and the Environment I Visual Aids

Discussion/Notes Guide

Visual Aid9

VA #9 Discussion/Notes Guide

Use the reading to discuss these topics with your group:

■ ■■ the current status of genetically engineered rice in California

■ ■■ how genetically engineered rice influences natural systems

■ ■■ the environmental, economic, and health benefits of genetically engineered rice

■ ■■ the environmental, economic, and health concerns about genetically engineered rice

■ ■■ ways to prevent genetic contamination

Take notes to use as a reference for the homework assignment.

CALIFORNIA EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE I Unit B.5.c. I High-Tech Harvest: Genetic Engineering and the Environment I Visual Aids 11

Making Decisions about Pharm Rice

Visual Aid10

VA #10 Making Decisions about Pharm Rice

Factor to be considered Stakeholders

California Education and the Environment InitiativePrinted on post-consumer recycled paperB5cVA