Ecology Critique Paper on EPA and DHA in Terrestrial Ecosystems

This ecology critique paper examines the potential ecological impacts of genetically engineering oilseed crops to produce eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), essential omega-3 fatty acids typically found in aquatic environments. The paper explores the implications of introducing these fatty acids into terrestrial ecosystems, focusing on their effects on terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates, food web dynamics, and potential alterations in organism behavior and development. The critique highlights the strengths of the research, such as its contribution to understanding interactions within food chains, while also pointing out weaknesses, including a lack of comprehensive risk assessment and limited understanding of the mechanisms behind the physiological effects of the fatty acids. The paper also discusses the artificiality of introducing these fatty acids into the terrestrial environment and the need for further research to fully understand the short-term and long-term consequences of this genetic modification, emphasizing the need for more thorough justification of oilseed selection and a more comprehensive risk assessment to evaluate the health and environmental effects as recommended by international bodies.

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Ecology Critique Paper
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University

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Ecology Critique Paper
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are essential nutritional
products that are available in fish and aquatic algae. They are critical for healthy growth and
physiologic activities in most aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates. In humans, the two omega-3
bioactive fatty acids have been associated with improved functionality of the neurologic and
cardiovascular systems. Genetically engineering terrestrial oilseed producers to produce these
fatty acids is likely to have an ecological impact on terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates hence
altering the environmental dynamics in the terrestrial environment (Colombo et al., 2018). Such
production will also increase its availability to humans for consumption considering their high
nutritional value. It is, therefore, ideal to be aware of the potential impact of this innovative
production on terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates.
In the field of ecology, genetic engineering to enable these fatty acids to be available in
oilseeds not only increases their availability but leads to the realization of physiologic effects that
the consumption of these nutrients has on the terrestrial invertebrates and vertebrates. The
aquatic ecosystems have been well understood concerning EPA and DHA as they are produced
by algae and consumed primarily by the zooplankton. Using oilseeds as the primary producers of
the omega-3 fatty acids is a virtual imitation of what occurs in the aquatic environment. Plants
are the producers; therefore, having the oil plants producing the two fatty acids will implore their
flow through the primary consumers to the higher order consumers including human and
common predators. Since humans are omnivores, they can also acquire the nutritional products
directly from the oilseeds.

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Strengths
The paper is an excellent contribution towards the field of ecology by improving the
general interaction between organisms within food chains and food webs as there are possible
improvements that are likely to be experienced following the introduction of omega-3 fatty acids
production in the terrestrial ecosystem. It is also clearly highlighted that the presentation of this
phenomenon is expected to produce an inevitable change in terms of the behaviors and
development of organisms that exist in the terrestrial environment (MacDonald et al., 2018).
Since aquatic ecosystems are the primary known source of EPA and DHA, the paper assesses the
impact of this scenario on the ecosystem to understand the possible effects it can have on the
terrestrial ecosystem. For instance, terrestrial insects have none or simple traces of the two
omega-3 fatty acids. Making these nutrients readily available will increase their composition in
the terrestrial invertebrates hence a potential alteration in interactions in the food web,
development, and behaviors.
The article further explains the flow of the two biologic fatty acids in the aquatic system
whereby other abundant fatty acids are used in essential body activities; EPA and DHA are only
metabolized when the reserves are depleted. This allows secondary consumers in the food web to
obtain maximum amounts of the fatty acids from the sources to utilize them in their physiologic
activities.
Weaknesses
The physiological effects of omega-3 fatty acids are relatively well understood; however,
the mechanism of these effects are not better understood. In vertebrates other than humans and
invertebrates, the results are inferred from those of humans without certainty. Introduction of

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these fatty acids to the terrestrial ecosystem is an unnatural scenario that is likely to have short
term and long term effects that are unpredictable.
Oil producing plants are used as the major producers of EPA and DHA for this research
study. The authors do not thoroughly explain the criteria for their selection. It is essential to have
the choice justified to make further research on this development feasible for other
environmental scientists and genetic engineers. As indicated by the paper, the fact that the
downstream effects of the introduction of the fatty acids to the terrestrial ecosystem are not well
understood can potentially cause inevitable and irreversible effects that may either be hazardous
to some organisms or predispose them to unwanted changes. The research study also fails to
perform an elaborate risk assessment and reviewing past studies on the same to establish the
health effects they can have in humans and environmental changes they can induce on the
terrestrial ecosystem as suggested by major international bodies such as the Food and
Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization (Hixson et al., 2015). It would also be
of significance to compare any molecular changes that may result following the introduction of
the fatty acids in an unnatural source.
Summary
Fish oil derivatives which include omega-3 fatty acids is an essential dietary product that
has been proved to improve neurologic and cardiovascular function in humans significantly. Due
to their availability in aquatic environment alone, genetic engineering is making efforts to
enhance its availability in terrestrial environment as well. Diverse effects on the organisms in
this environment are likely to be experienced hence, the need to have the scientific basis
understood better.

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References
Colombo, S., Campbell, L., Murphy, E., Martin, S., and Arts, M. 2018. The potential for a
different production of omega-3 long-chain fatty acids by genetically engineered oilseed
plants to alter terrestrial ecosystem dynamics. Agricultural Systems 164: 31-37. doi:
10.1016/j.agsy.2018.03.004.
Hixson, S., Sharma, B., Kainz, M., Wacker, A., and Arts, M. 2015. Production, distribution, and
abundance of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: a fundamental dichotomy
between freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. Environmental Reviews 23: 414-424. doi:
10.1139/er-2015-0029.
MacDonald, C., Colombo, S., and Arts, M. 2018. Genetically Engineered Oil Seed Crops and
Novel Terrestrial Nutrients: Ethical Considerations. Science and Engineering Ethics. doi:
10.1007/s11948-018-0074-9.