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Lidia S. Watrud
Professor (Courtesy) Office/Lab: EPA |
Biotechnology risk assessment: measuring gene flow from genetically modified (GM) crops to their wild relatives; developing methods to determine consequences of GM gene flow on the ecological fitness of crop/wild hybrids and on plant communities in non-agronomic habitats. Additional long term research interest in the biology of rhizosphere microbial communities.
My Ecological Effects of Gene Flow research team utilizes a variety of molecular and plant ecology techniques in laboratory, specialized greenhouse and field environments to measure and model gene flow from GM crops to their wild relatives. The two model crops that we work with are creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) , which is a wind-pollinated perennial, and canola (Brassica napus), which is grown as an annual and is largely insect pollinated. Team members come from a variety of academic backgrounds, facilitating our development of inter-disciplinary approaches for biotech risk assessment. Areas of expertise represented within our team include plant ecology, molecular biology, microbiology, statistics, GIS mapping methods, and modeling. Recent publications on our Agrsotis research have shown that viable GM pollen can travel considerable multi-km distances, and that crop/wild plant hybrids can also become established multiple km from source fields. Our current research focus is on developing specialized greenhouse and laboratory methods to identify, quantitate and model the ecological consequences of GM gene introgression on non-agronomic plant communities.
Jay R. Reichman
Mike Bollman
Bonnie M. Smith
Connie Burdick
E. Henry Lee
Post-Doctoral Fellows
Jason P. Londo (2007-2009)
Nonnie Bautista (2005-2007)
Peter Van de Water (2005-2006)
Ric Colasanti(2004-2005)
Visiting Scientists
John Fowler (Oregon State University); 2005-2006
Cindy Sagers (University of Arkansas);
2005-2007
Carol Auer (University of Connecticut);
anticipated 2008
Wayne Landis (Western Washington University); anticipated 2008
http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/staff/watrud.htm
Van de Water, P., Watrud, L.S., Lee, E.H., Burdick, C., and G.A.
King. 2007. Long-distance GM pollen movement of creeping bentgrass
using modeled wind trajectory analysis. Ecological Applications
17:1244-1256.
Watrud, L.S., Martin, K., Donegan, K.K., Stone, J.K. and C.G.
Coleman. 2006. Comparison of taxonomic, colony morphotype, and
PCR-RFLP methods to characterize microfungal diversity. Mycologia
98:384-392.
Reichman, J.R., Watrud, L.S., Lee, E.H., Burdick, C.A., Bollman,
M.A., Storm, M.J., King, G.A. and Mallory-Smith, C. 2006.
Establishment of transgenic herbicide-resistant creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) in nonagronomic habitats. Molecular Ecology
15(13) 4243-4255
Colasanti, R., Watrud, L.S. and R. Hunt. 2006. A simple cellular
automaton model for high-level vegetation dynamics. Ecological
Modeling 203:363-374.
Watrud, L.S., E.H. Lee, A. Fairbrother, C. Burdick, J.R. Reichman,
M. Bollman, M. Storm, G. King and P.K. Van deWater. 2004. Evidence
for landscape-level, pollen-mediated gene flow from genetically
modified creeping bentgrass with CP4 EPSPS as a marker. Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences 101(40):14533-14538.
Compton, J.E., L.S. Watrud, L.A. Porteous, S. DeGrood. 2004.
Response of soil microbial biomass and community composition to
chronic nitrogen additions at Harvard forest. Forest Ecology and
Management 196:143-158.
Watrud, L.S., Maggard, S., Shiroyama, T., Coleman, C.G., Johnson,
M.G., Donegan, K.K., DiGiovanni, G., Porteous, A.L., and E. H. Lee.
2003. Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum L.) frond biomass and rhizosphere
microbial community characteristics are correlated to edaphic factors. Plant and Soil 249:359-371.
Winton, L. M., J.K. Stone, L.S. Watrud, and E.M. Hansen. 2002.
Simultaneous one-tube quantification of host and pathogen DNA with
real-time polymerase chain reaction. Phytopathology 92:112-116.
Donegan, K.K., L. S. Watrud, R. J. Seidler, S. P. Maggard, T.
Shiroyama, L. A. Porteous, and G. Di Giovanni. 2001. Soil and litter
organisms in Pacific northwest forests under different management
practices. Appl. Soil Ecol. 535:1-17.
Olszyk, D. M., D. T. Tingey, L. Watrud, R. Seidler and C. Andersen.
2000. Interactive effects of O3 and CO2: implications for
terrestrial ecosystems. Pages 97-136 in S. N. Singh, editor. Trace
Gas Emissions and Plants, Klower Academic Publishers, Netherlands.
Watrud, L.S., 2000. Genetically Engineered Plants in the Environment
-- Applications and Issues, Pages 59-79 in N.S. Subbarao and Y.R.
Dommergues, Microbial Interactions in Agriculture and Forestry, Vol.
2. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co, New Delhi.
Di Giovanni, G.D., L.S. Watrud, R.J. Seidler, and F. Widmer. 1999.
Comparison of parental and transgenic alfalfa rhizosphere
communities using Biolog GN metabolic fingerprinting and enterobacterial repetitive intergeneric consensus sequence-PCR
(ERIC-PCR). Microbial Ecol. 37:129-139.
Widmer, F., R.J. Seidler, P.M. Gillevet, L.S. Watrud, and G.D. Di
Giovanni. 1998. A highly selective PCR protocol for detecting 16S
rRNA genes of the genus Pseudomonas (sensu stricto) in environmental
samples. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64(7):2545-2553.
Entry, J.A., L.S. Watrud, and M. Reeves. 1998. Accumulation of 137Cs
and 90Cs by three grass species inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi.
Environ. Pollution 100:1-9.
Porteous, L.A., R.J. Seidler, and L.S. Watrud. 1997. An improved
method for purifying DNA from soil for polymerase chain reaction
amplification and molecular ecology applications. Molec. Ecol.
6:787-791.
Widmer, F., R.J. Seidler, and L.S. Watrud. 1996. Sensitive detection
of transgenic plant marker gene persistence in soil microcosms.
Molec. Ecol. 5:603-613.
Watrud, L.S., and R.J. Seidler. 1996. Ecological effects of plant,
microbial and chemical introductions to terrestrial systems. Pages
313-340 in P.M. Huang, editor. Soil Chemistry and Ecosystem Health.
Special Publication No. 52, Soil Science Society of America, SSSA,
ASA, Madison, WI.
Obukowicz, M.G., F.J. Perlak, and L.S. Watrud. 1993. Combating plant
insect pests with plant-colonizing microorganisms containing the
toxin gene of B. thuringiensis as a chromosomal insertion. U.S.
Patent No. 5,229, 112. Issued July 20, 1993. Assignee: Monsanto Co.,
St. Louis.
