[Taxacom] Taxonomy and GMOs

[Richard Zander]

Pandora's box includes numerous species concepts. Jamming a perceived
group into one or another concept is tautological, if you need the
species concept to perceive the group. You can make a nice artificial
classification for GMOs by stating that GMOs are good species, and there
you are.

Alternatively, you can decide if the GMO is a good candidate for a basic
unit of taxonomy, useful for many scientific fields. And use whatever
species concept, a posteriori, you feel describes its distinction.

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Richard H. Zander 
Voice: 314-577-0276
Missouri Botanical Garden
PO Box 299
St. Louis, MO 63166-0299 USA
richard.zander at mobot.org
Web sites: http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/resbot/
and http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/bfna/bfnamenu.htm
Modern Evolutionary Systematics Web site:
http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/resbot/21EvSy.htm
*****************************


-----Original Message-----
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
[mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Ashley Nicholas
Sent: Friday, November 06, 2009 8:10 AM
To: Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: [Taxacom] Taxonomy and GMOs

Dear Taxacomers,
 
I dread to open this Pandora's box but I have recently been approached
for advice by someone drawing up legislation about the naming of GMOs.
If a GMO becomes reproductively isolated from its parent species (but
can reproduce with itself) does it not become a new species that now
needs to be named and described? If so does someone doing this then
follow the respective Codes of Nomenclature or do special procedures and
naming practices need to be followed? Do we treat them the same as
'normal' species (whatever that means!) or do they deserve to be treated
differently as we do for horticultural plants - in which cultivars need
to be registered? I have been unable to find any published literature on
this and could find nothing in the ICBN Vienna code.  A colleague also
tells me the Horticultural Code does not deal with this matter either.
 
This not only has implications for taxonomy and classification, but also
for the new Phylocode - how is it going to place and contextualise these
GMO species which can involve lateral gene transfer from very unrelated
organisms? I try to convince myself that I should not be too shocked by
all this given that nature has been creating GMOs for billions of years.

 
Any advice and published references would be gratefully appreciated.
Ashley Nicholas