ABSTRACT
The term ‘genetic integrity’ is commonly used in agriculture, conservation biology and ecology when the genetic composition of an organism, a community of organisms or even a whole ecosystem is in danger of being changed by the introduction of new genetic material – either by means of genetic engineering or, more naturally, by the presence of organisms with different genetic stock and the resulting transmission of foreign genes into the native gene pool. The use of the term ‘integrity’ in this context suggests a normative perspective on the perceived or predicted change. The change is not neutral but considered to be a change for the worse. Accordingly, the introduction of new genetic material into a given population is dubbed an ‘invasion’, and after such an invasion has taken place the genomes, formerly intact, are said to be ‘polluted’ or ‘contaminated’. It is clear that these terms cannot be taken literally. They are metaphors that emphasize the normative viewpoint. Apparently there is an angle from which it appears desirable that the genetic composition stays as it is. Because of the complex nature of both ecosystems and individual organisms, the introduction of new genes is likely to have unpredictable and possibly undesirable (or undesired) effects. An ecosystem can collapse (that is, turn into something new) and an organism can develop properties that are detrimental to its health and survival. However, the term ‘genetic integrity’ is most commonly used in the context of conservation efforts where the goal is to protect the ‘genetic resources’ that rare wild species or domestic breeds provide. In these cases, hybridization is to be prevented in order to ensure genetic diversity and preserve genetic material that might turn out to be useful for livestock improvement. The explicit goal is to protect potentially economically important genetic traits.1 Thus the genetic integrity of living organisms that is commonly discussed in the scientific literature is related not to the good of these organisms but instead to their utility. The living organism whose genetic integrity is sought to be preserved is primarily or exclusively viewed as a ‘gene bank’.2
