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SundayReview

OPINION

TweakingGenestoSaveSpecies
ByHILLARYROSNER

APRIL16,2016

Boulder,Colo.BIOTECHNOLOGISTShaveengineeredthemosquitothat
spreadstheZikavirustopassalethalgenetoitsoffspring.Anotherteamof
researchershasdevisedawaytospreadsterilitythroughthemosquito
population,usingatechniquecalledgenedrivetowipeouttheoffending
insects.
Ifregulatorsapprovethisgenetictinkering,theseinsectscouldbecome
apowerfulweaponagainstthespreadofmosquitobornediseasesto
humans.Butbugslikethese,andthetechniquesusedtocreatethem,might
haveanotherroletoplay:helpingtoprotecttheearthsbiodiversity.
Thiskindofgeneticmeddlingmakesmanyenvironmentalistsdeeply
uncomfortable.ManipulatingnaturesDNAseemsahugelyriskyand
ethicallyfraughtwaytohelpsavethenaturalworld.Andyet,wemayneed
toaccepttherisks.
OnHawaiianislands,forinstance,avianmalariatransmittedby
mosquitoesisdecimatingnativebirdpopulations.Warmertemperatures
haveexacerbatedthethreat,allowingmosquitoesthatcarrythemalaria
parasitetoinvadehigherelevationareasthatarethelastholdoutsforsome
birds.Theselossesrippledownthroughfoodchains,disrupting
ecosystems.
Butwhatifwecouldwipeoutavianmalariawithoutsprayingtoxic

pesticides,byreleasingmalemosquitoesthathavebeengenetically
engineeredtobesterile?Orthatcanttransmitthemalariaparasite,thanks
toanalteredgeneintheirsalivaryglands?
Andifwecandesignsterilemosquitoes,whataboutsterilerats?
Onislandsaroundtheglobe,invasiverodentsareobliteratingnative
plantsandanimalsmanyofwhichexistnowhereelse.Bysomeestimates,
90percentofthesearchipelagosareplaguedbynonnativerodents.
Eradicatingthemcouldrestoreecosystemsandletevolutionaryprocesses
resumeunfettered.Thecurrentmethod,poison,isacostly,laborintensive
onethatalsorisksharmtonativeanimals.
Scientistsaredevelopingadvancedgenetictechniquestoensurethat
allmouseoffspringaremale.Nofemales,nobabies,nomoreinvasive
rodents.
Suchtargetedconservationwouldbetransformativeinourabilityto
dealwithinvasiverodents,whichareamajorextinctiondriver,saysJosh
Donlan,anecologist,expertinislandconservation,anddirectorofthe
nonprofitAdvancedConservationStrategies.
Targetinginvasiverodentsandmosquitoesisonlythebeginning.New
genomictechniques,includingthegeneeditingtechnologyCrisprCas9,
offerthetantalizingpossibilityofprotectingatriskspeciesbytargeting
theirpersecutors.Wemight,forinstance,beabletoengineerameeker
versionofthefungusthatcauseswhitenosesyndrome,theplaguethatis
sweepingthroughbatcoloniesanddestroyingthem.Alesslethalversionof
thefungusmightsickenthebatswithoutkillingthem,andenablesometo
developresistance.
Theseadvancedgenomictoolscouldalsorestorelostgeneticdiversity
toshrinkingpopulationsofthreatenedorendangeredspeciessothatthey
arebetterequippedtoadapttoenvironmentalchangeordefendagainst
potentiallydevastatingpathogens.
Oneexampleistheblackfootedferret,anendangeredweasellike

rodentoncethoughttobeextinctthatinhabitsthegrasslandsoftheWest.
Theferretsestimatedwildpopulationof500to1,000stemsfromjust
sevenanimalsthatwerepartofacaptivebreedingprogrammorethan30
yearsago.
Havingbroughttheseanimalsbackfromthebrink,scientistsnow
worrythatthespecies,oneofthemostendangeredofanimals,maylack
enoughgeneticdiversitytosurvivelongterm.
Oneconservationorganizationhasproposedbolsteringtheferrets
geneticdiversitywiththeaidofferretDNAthatwascryopreservedinthe
1980sfromanimalswhosegenesarenotrepresentedinthecurrent
population.ThegrouphassubmittedtwoproposalstotheUnitedStates
FishandWildlifeServicetoessentiallybringbacktolifeferretswithrare
genes.
Wereinauniqueperiodwherewevegotthetechnologypotentiallyin
placetostartchangingthecourseforalotofthesespeciesbeforetheygo
extinct,saysRyanPhelan,executivedirectorofReviveandRestore,the
nonprofitgroupthatsubmittedtheplans.
Theorganizationalsosupportsdeextinction,theideaofusing
genomictechnologytobringbackvanishedcreatureslikewoolly
mammothsandpassengerpigeons.Thesamegenetictoolsinvolvedin
reanimatingamammothmaybetremendouslyusefulinsavingspeciesthat
arestillclingingon.
Butmanypeopleandmanyconservationbiologistsarguethatitis
hubristothinkthatwecanplanhowthisinterferencewillunfold.Historyis
fullofexamplesofgoodintentionsgoneawry.Inonefamouscase,
Australiansbroughtincanetoadsinthe1930stocontrolanagricultural
pest,thegreybackedcanebeetle.Thesepoisonoustoads,whicharenative
toSouthandCentralAmerica,havebeenwreakinghavoconlocalspecies
eversince.
Ecosystemsaremessy,murkyandhighlycomplex.Ifanythingis

certain,itsthatgeneticallyengineeringnaturewillprobablynotgoas
intended.
Genomicsolutionsarenotareplacementfortraditionalconservation
strategies,likeplacinglargetractsoflandofflimitstodevelopment,or
reducingthewidespreaduseoftoxicpesticidesandsyntheticfertilizers,or
ensuringthereisenoughcleanwaterinlakes,riversandwetlandsto
providehabitatforfish,birdsandothercreatures.Thereisnosilverbullet
forprotectingtheplanetsrichbiodiversitywemustexploreallavailable
mechanisms.
Wecantsaveeveryspecies,ofcourse.Theplanetislosingits
biodiversityatanalarmingrate,andtherearetoomanyspeciescirclingthe
drain.Conservationprofessionalsacknowledgethatwewillneedto
performasortofconservationtriage,apainfulprocessofdecidingwhich
speciestotrytorescueandwhichtoletgo.Asanincreasingnumberslip
away,wewillfaceevermoredifficultethicaldecisionsnotjustabout
whichspecieswewanttosave,buthowfarwearewillingtogotosave
them,andevenwhatsavingthemreallymeans.Havewesavedaspecies
ifitcansurviveonlywithsustainedhumanintervention?Orifitsgenomeis
altered?
Lastspring,Ms.PhelanandKentRedford,aconservationbiologist,
convenedameetinginSausalito,Calif.,toaddresssomeofthesequestions,
bringingtogethertheworldsofbiotechnologyandconservationtodiscuss
howthetwomightcooperate.Asimilargatheringisplannedforthisfall.
Onarapidlychangingplanet,conservationisincreasinglyascramble
forevolutionaryresilience,aquesttohelpspeciessurvivethemyriad
challengestheyface,toshoreupthegoodstuffandhandicapthebad.New
genetictechniquescouldprovidepowerfulweaponstotheconservation
arsenal,andanewpathtowardevolutionaryresiliencejustwhenweneedit
most.

HillaryRosnerisajournalistwhowritesaboutscienceandthe
environment.

AversionofthisopedappearsinprintonApril17,2016,onpageSR8oftheNewYork
editionwiththeheadline:TweakingGenestoSaveSpecies.

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