GMO does reduce biodiversity, and that can present a risk. When most crops have the same genetic make-up, they will all respond similarly to the same threat. Thus, you could have a large-scale crop failure because every plant is equally susceptible to the same pathogen.
Thank you for the explanation, is this the reason that most detractors give? I've always thought it was a health concern i.e. carcinogen etc.
I think a lot of folk probably worry more about the health concern, but IMO that is a far lesser threat. There are also unintended effects that GMO can have on other flora/fauna. Making a crop resistant to a certain fungus or parasite can have unintended effects upon the greater ecosystem. For example, the fungus could then be driven to adapt to eat the GMO, and at the same time gain the ability to wreck havoc on local flora. Everything in an environment is connected, and it’s almost impossible to change one thing without a ripple effect. GMO can be like turning up the setting on one knob in the ecosystem to 10.Thank you for the explanation, is this the reason that most detractors give?