Abstract
Effects of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) and conventional crop management on invertebrate trophic groups (herbivores, detritivores, pollinators, predators and parasitoids) were compared in beet, maize and spring oilseed rape sites throughout the UK. These trophic groups were influenced by season, crop species and GMHT management. Many groups increased twofold to fivefold in abundance between early and late summer, and differed up to 10-fold between crop species. GMHT management superimposed relatively small (less than twofold), but consistent, shifts in plant and insect abundance, the extent and direction of these effects being dependent on the relative efficacies of comparable conventional herbicide regimes. In general, the biomass of weeds was reduced under GMHT management in beet and spring oilseed rape and increased in maize compared with conventional treatments. This change in resource availability had knock-on effects on higher trophic levels except in spring oilseed rape where herbivore resource was greatest. Herbivores, pollinators and natural enemies changed in abundance in the same directions as their resources, and detritivores increased in abundance under GMHT management across all crops. The result of the later herbicide application in GMHT treatments was a shift in resource from the herbivore food web to the detritivore food web. The Farm Scale Evaluations have demonstrated over 3 years and throughout the UK that herbivores, detritivores and many of their predators and parasitoids in arable systems are sensitive to the changes in weed communities that result from the introduction of new herbicide regimes.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Trophic group abundances rose twofold to fivefold from early to late summer.
Verbatim
e0“Many groups increased twofold to fivefold in abundance between early and late summer”
Claim · model-written summary
Trophic groups differed up to 10-fold among crop species.
Verbatim
e0“differed up to 10-fold between crop species”
Claim · model-written summary
GMHT management reduced weed biomass in beet.
- Taxon
- beet
Beta vulgarise0 - Treatment
- GMHT managemente0
- Interactor
- weedse0weed
- Outcome
- biomass of weedse0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Comparator
- conventional treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the biomass of weeds was reduced under GMHT management in beet and spring oilseed rape and increased in maize compared with conventional treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
GMHT management reduced weed biomass in spring oilseed rape.
- Taxon
- spring oilseed rape
_Brassica_napus_-_Habit.jpg?width=60)
Brassica napuse0 - Treatment
- GMHT managemente0
- Interactor
- weedse0weed
- Outcome
- biomass of weedse0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Comparator
- conventional treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_Brassica_napus_-_Habit.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“the biomass of weeds was reduced under GMHT management in beet and spring oilseed rape and increased in maize compared with conventional treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
GMHT management increased weed biomass in maize.
- Treatment
- GMHT managemente0
- Interactor
- weedse0weed
- Outcome
- biomass of weedse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- conventional treatmentse0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the biomass of weeds was reduced under GMHT management in beet and spring oilseed rape and increased in maize compared with conventional treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
Herbivores, pollinators and natural enemies tracked the abundance directions of their resources.
Verbatim
e0“Herbivores, pollinators and natural enemies changed in abundance in the same directions as their resources”
Claim · model-written summary
Detritivores increased under GMHT management across all crops.
- Taxon
- cropse0
- Treatment
- GMHT managemente0
- Outcome
- detritivores increased in abundancee0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“detritivores increased in abundance under GMHT management across all crops”
Claim · model-written summary
Later herbicide application shifted resources from the herbivore food web to the detritivore food web.
Verbatim
e0“The result of the later herbicide application in GMHT treatments was a shift in resource from the herbivore food web to the detritivore food web”
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Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.