Abstract
Transgenic corn producing Cry1Ac toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) provides effective control of Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée), and thus reduces insecticide applications. However, whether Bt corn exerts undesirable effects on non-target arthropods (NTAs) is still controversial. We conducted a 2-yr study in Shangzhuang Agricultural Experiment Station to assess the potential impact of Bt corn on field population density, biodiversity, community composition and structure of NTAs. On each sampling date, the total abundance, Shannon's diversity index, Pielou's evenness index and Simpson's diversity index were not significantly affected by Bt corn as compared to non-Bt corn. The "sampling dates" had a significant effect on these indices, but no clear tendencies related to "Bt corn" or "sampling dates X corn variety" interaction were recorded. Principal response curve analysis of variance indicated that Bt corn did not alter the distribution of NTAs communities. Bray-Curtis dissimilarity and distance analysis showed that Cry1Ac toxin exposure did not increase community dissimilarities between Bt and non-Bt corn plots and that the evolution of non-target arthropod community was similar on the two corn varieties. The cultivation of Bt corn failed to show any detrimental evidence on the density of non-target herbivores, predators and parasitoids. The composition of herbivores, predators and parasitoids was identical in Bt and non-Bt corn plots. Taken together, results from the present work support that Bt corn producing Cry1Ac toxins does not adversely affect NTAs.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Bt corn did not significantly change total arthropod abundance or three diversity indices.
- Taxon
- corn
Zea mays subsp. mayse0 - Treatment
- Bt corne0
- Outcome
- total abundance, Shannon's diversity index, Pielou's evenness index and Simpson's diversity indexe0
- Direction
- not significantly affectede0
- Comparator
- non-Bt corne0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the total abundance, Shannon's diversity index, Pielou's evenness index and Simpson's diversity index were not significantly affected by Bt corn as compared to non-Bt corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Sampling dates significantly affected these arthropod indices.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Outcome
- these indicese0
- Setting
- sampling datese0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The "sampling dates" had a significant effect on these indices”
e1“Bt corn on field population density”
Claim · model-written summary
No clear trend was recorded for the Bt corn by sampling date interaction.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse0
- Treatment
- Bt corne0
- Outcome
- tendenciese0
- Direction
- no clear tendenciese0
- Qualifier
- sampling dates X corn varietye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“no clear tendencies related to "Bt corn" or "sampling dates X corn variety" interaction were recorded”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt corn did not alter the distribution of non target arthropod communities.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse0
- Treatment
- Bt corne0
- Outcome
- distribution of NTAs communitiese0
- Direction
- did not altere0
- Comparator
- non-Bt corn plotse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Bt corn did not alter the distribution of NTAs communities”
e1“between Bt and non-Bt corn plots”
Claim · model-written summary
Cry1Ac exposure did not increase dissimilarity of arthropod communities between Bt and non Bt plots.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse0
- Treatment
- Cry1Ac toxin exposuree0
- Outcome
- community dissimilaritiese0
- Direction
- did not increasee0
- Comparator
- non-Bt corn plotse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cry1Ac toxin exposure did not increase community dissimilarities between Bt and non-Bt corn plots”
Claim · model-written summary
Non target arthropod communities evolved similarly on both corn varieties.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse0
- Outcome
- evolution of non-target arthropod communitye0
- Direction
- similare0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the evolution of non-target arthropod community was similar on the two corn varieties”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt corn showed no detrimental effect on non target herbivore, predator and parasitoid density.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse0
- Treatment
- Bt corne0
- Outcome
- density of non-target herbivores, predators and parasitoidse0
- Direction
- failed to show any detrimental evidencee0
- Comparator
- non-Bt corn plotse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The cultivation of Bt corn failed to show any detrimental evidence on the density of non-target herbivores, predators and parasitoids”
e1“identical in Bt and non-Bt corn plots”
Claim · model-written summary
Herbivore, predator and parasitoid composition was identical in Bt and non Bt plots.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse0
- Outcome
- composition of herbivores, predators and parasitoidse0
- Direction
- identicale0
- Comparator
- non-Bt corn plotse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The composition of herbivores, predators and parasitoids was identical in Bt and non-Bt corn plots”
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