Question

Predict the outcome of gene flow in this agricultural scenario: One farmer is growing organic corn (not using pesticides or herbicides), while the neighboring farmer is growing genetically modified corn with an allele for herbicide resistance (so that the farmer can spray the crop with herbicides and kill the weeds, not the com).
a. Gene flow is likely to occur from the genetically modified cornfield to the organic com field since the organic com is missing the gene for herbicide resistance. There would not be gene flow in the other direction
b. Gene flow between the two com populations (for example, via wind blowing pollen from one field to another) could result in the introduction of the herbicide-resistance allole from the genetically modified crop to the organic crop and/or for the introduction of non-herbicide-resistance alleles from the organic crop to the genetically modified crop. Assuming that some of the seeds from each crop are used to plant the next generation in each population, the allele frequencies of the two crops will become more similar over time.

Answer 1

The outcome of this scenario is gene flow between the two com populations (Option b). It may lead to the introduction of the genetically modified allele into the natural population.

Gene flow and cross-pollination

Gene flow refers to the interchange of genes (alleles) between different populations as a consequence of mating and/or migration.

Gene flow leads to the mixture of different alleles in the populations, which will be selected in each environment in order to shape allele and genotypic frequencies over time.

In this case, maize is an allogamous plant, which means that cross-pollination and gene flow will occur between different maize (corn) populations.

Learn more about gene flow here:

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