Why are genetically modified plants thought to pose a greater risk to the

Because plants can more easily 'escape' the confines of a testing site.

A GM cow on a ranch is unlikely to get out and, even if she does, is unlikely to mate and produce enough offspring to alter the wild populations.

A GM plant in a field could get out if even one seed gets out and that seed could be the parent of numerous generations that could act as an invasive species, decimating the populations of other plants.

I find this scenario somewhat unlikely, (it assumes that features that humans prefer are also superior when competing with plants that have evolved to be best at surviving) but that is why people are worried.
 
Because plants can more easily 'escape' the confines of a testing site.

A GM cow on a ranch is unlikely to get out and, even if she does, is unlikely to mate and produce enough offspring to alter the wild populations.

A GM plant in a field could get out if even one seed gets out and that seed could be the parent of numerous generations that could act as an invasive species, decimating the populations of other plants.

I find this scenario somewhat unlikely, (it assumes that features that humans prefer are also superior when competing with plants that have evolved to be best at surviving) but that is why people are worried.
 
Pollen.

The genes that have been introduced into a plant can be packaged into pollen that in many species can be carried for tens or hundreds of miles under the right conditions. This means that extraordinary measures have to be taken, like growing some GMOs in caverns, in order to be absolutely certain that no altered genes spread into other populations.
 
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