Soil organisms as an essential element of a monitoring plan to identify the effects of GMO cultivation. Requirements – Methodology – Standardisation

Abstract

After a release of genetically modified organisms, monitoring of potential adverse effects on the environment is mandatory. The protocol used for monitoring should be previously tested in practical studies and must be standardised. Moreover, sampling methods and the evaluation of results must meet current scientific and technical standards. Due to their particular role in maintaining soil quality and in a multitude of ecological processes in agro-ecosystems, soil organisms belong to those groups for which VDI guidelines are being developed. The guideline 4331 Part 1 describes fundamental criteria for the selection and sam- ReSeARCh ARtiCle BioRisk A peer-reviewed open-access journalAndrea Ruf et al. / BioRisk 8: 73-87 (2013) 74 pling of soil organisms for GMO monitoring and gives guidance for sampling design, sampling strategy and statistical evaluation. In the guideline three approaches are followed: (1) a compilation of previously known effects and exposure pathways, (2) a documentation of ecological functions of soil organisms (ecosystem services) as well as (3) a description of characteristic species compositions in the soil. The aim was to develop a selection matrix that helps to choose the appropriate animal groups to be sampled. Besides the habitat type and the ecological relevance, the selection matrix also considers the suitability of animal groups in terms of practical issues and, in specific cases, anticipated effects. Further parts of the guideline 4331 will describe sampling methods for relevant soil animal groups.

Possibilities of using the German Federal States’ permanent soil monitoring program for the monitoring of potential effects of genetically modified organisms (GMO)

“…In parallel, information was compiled when developing a guideline for the monitoring of effects of GMO on soil organisms by the Association of German Engineers (VDI; [ 27 ]). This guideline and an explanatory paper on the same subject [ 28 ] represent suitable complements to the work described in this paper.…”

“…In addition, both groups can take up harmful substances by food. Different feeding types can be differentiated in soil organisms [ 26 – 28 ]: saprophages (feeding on dead organic material), microphages (feeding on bacteria), fungiphages (feeding on fungi), phytophages (feeding on living plants) and zoophages (predators) are the most common. However, evidence increases that many soil organisms are able to use different food resources [ 29 – 31 ].…”

Soil biodiversity data: Actual and potential use in European and national legislation

“…However, in the application of these methods for individual PPP, field trials take place in general, without detailed guidance or standardization. These are performed where a risk has been identified in lower-tier laboratory studies (usually focusing on earthworms (ISO (International Organization for Standardization), 1999), but sometimes and also for their post-registration monitoring (Hilbeck et al, 2008), including developing potential schema for soil monitoring activities (Ruf et al, 2013;Toschki et al, 2015). Monitoring of dung organism communities, especially dung flies and dung beetles, was recently proposed as part of the registration of veterinary pharmaceuticals (Adler et al, 2013).…”

Effects of Pest Management Practices on Soil Nematode Abundance, Diversity, Metabolic Footprint and Community Composition Under Paddy Rice Fields

“…The frequency of pesticide application in fields of Bt rice is lower than that of its counterpart non-Bt rice (Li et al, 2014). However, the Cry1Ab/Ac of Bt rice can enter soil ecosystems through root exudations, pollen and plant residue inputs, and thus nematodes are likely to be exposed to bioactive proteins from transgenic Bt rice because of their trophic position in soil food webs (Ruf et al, 2013). Moreover, the Cry1Ab/Ac proteins of Bt rice might accumulate in rhizosphere soil (Liu et al, 2018a).…”