Main description:

In 1992, a group of scientists including molecular biologists, microbiologists, population biolo- gists, ecologists, human geneticists, moral philosophers and others met discussing the state of affairs regarding the deliberate or unintentional release of genetically modified organisms. The proceedings of this meeting were subsequently published by Birkhauser Verlag as Transgenic Organisms: Risk Assessment of Deliberate Release (K. Wohrmann and J. Tomiuk). Since then we have gained many new insights that are also worthy of discussion. And although other equally important scientific views on the release of genetically modified organisms exist, we have mainly concentrated on aspects of population biology and evolution. The results of a second meeting in 1995 are summarized here. We are grateful to colleagues and friends for their help in the translation, correction and review of the authors' contributions. We especially want to thank Jutta Bachmann, Donna Devine, Diana von Finck, Friedrich Laplace, Volker Loeschcke, Rolf Lorenz, Dave Parker and Trevor Petney.
A grant (BMFT N' 0311035) from the Ministerium fUr Forschung und Technologie der Bundesrepublik Deutschland again made possible the continuation of this cooperative endeavour.

Contents:

Prologue.- Inactivation of gene expression in transgenic plants.- The impact of transposable elements on genome evolution in animals and plants.- Evolutionary changes of the structure of mobile genetic elements in Drosophila.- Mechanisms and consequences of horizontal gene transfer in natural bacterial populations.- Evolutionary genetic considerations on the goals and risks in releasing transgenic crops.- Transmission of insect transposons into baculovirus genomes: An unusual host-pathogen interaction.- Influence of transgenes on coevolutionary processes.- The two strategies of biological containment of genetically engineered bacteria.- Monitoring genetically modified organisms and their recombinant DNA in soil environments.- Recent advances in ecological biosafety research on the risks of transgenic plants: A trans-continental perspective.- Modern versus classical plant breeding methods - efficient synergism or competitive antagonism?.- Genetically modified food and its safety assessment.- Genetic intervention in human beings.- History of and progress in risk assessment.- Transgenic organisms and evolution: Ethical implications.- Genetic engineering and the press - Public opinion versus published opinion.- Epilogue.