Field studies to assess effects of transgenic crops onnontarget organisms primarily have focused on nontarget abundance and diversity, whereas few have examined effects on nontarget community function. A 5-yr Þeld study in Arizona assessed whether transgenic cotton producing the Cry1Ac toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) had an effect on the natural enemy communityÕs impact on three key pests....

Many generalist predators are abundant in transgenic crops but the uptake of Bt-endotoxins could affect their role in biological control. We tested the hypothesis that small, but detectable, quantities of Cry1Ab-Bt-endotoxin would flow along the corn /slug /carabid food chain but concentrations would be small and have no effect on carabid fecundity. In addition to controlled laboratory feeding ...

Although scores of experiments have examined the ecological consequences of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops, debates continue regarding the nontarget impacts of this technology. Quantitative reviews of existing studies are crucial for better gauging risks and improving future risk assessments. To encourage evidence-based risk analyses, we constructed a searchable database for nonta...

A 3-yr, multi-state survey of farmers who had planted transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn was conducted to evaluate perceptions of Bt corn performance and its utility as a management option for European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner). A questionnaire was sent to farmers in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania who had grown Bt corn during the growing sea...

Previous studies suggest that exposure to anthers from com, Zea mays L., expressing Bac;/Z%? (Bt)-derived protein may have adverse effects on larvae of the monarch butterfly, Danawa (L.). The objectives of this research were to: 1) measure the effects of short-term and long-term exposure to anthers in the laboratory, 2) examine anther distribution in space and time, 3) measure the effects of lo...

The advent of genetically modified (GM) Bt rice creates the possibility of interactions among Bt crops, crop pathogens and non-target herbivores. In particular, information on how pathogen-infected Bt-expressing plants will influence non-target herbivores is necessary to predict the sustainability of GM cropping systems. Laboratory bioassays were conducted to evaluate the potential combined imp...

OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of feeding Bt MON810 maize to pigs for 110 days on the intestinal microbiota. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Forty male pigs (∼40 days old) were blocked by weight and litter ancestry and assigned to one of four treatments; 1) Isogenic maize-based diet for 110 days (Isogenic); 2) Bt maize-based diet (MON810) for 110 days (Bt); 3) Isogenic maize-based diet for 30...

In this prospective observational study rectal and vaginal temperature of 82 (26 primiparous, 56 multiparous) early post-partum healthy dairy cows that calved without intervention within 3 months and did not show clinical signs of infectious and metabolic diseases were continuously measured and evaluated for associations with plausible factors during the first 10 days in milk (DIM). During May,...

one concern about using transgenic plants is the genetic variation that occurred from theirs tissue culture and regeneration. molecular markers are an important element for efficient and effective determination of genetic variation. the present work was carried out to assess the genetic uniformity of transgenic cottons (bt and chitinase lines), using rapd, issr molecular markers and sds-page an...