Deriving criteria to select arthropod species for laboratory tests to assess the ecological risks from cultivating arthropod-resistant genetically engineered crops

Romeis, Jörg; Raybould, Alan; Bigler, F.; Candolfi, M. P.; Hellmich, Richard L.; Huesing, J. E.; Shelton, Anthony M.

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.09.035

Cited by 107 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…The risk assessment framework currently used for Bt crops has been suggested as a starting point to evaluate the potential hazards for RNAi crops (Auer and Frederick, 2009;CERA, 2011;Romeis et al, 2013;EFSA, 2014). This framework tests the risk hypothesis that the stressor (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing an in vivo toxicity assay for RNAi risk assessment in honey bees, Apis mellifera L

et al. 2016

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing an in vivo toxicity assay for RNAi risk assessment in honey bees, Apis mellifera L

et al. 2016

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“…Therefore, evaluating the effects of Bt crops on nontarget herbivore biodiversity should be an important step in environmental safety assessment of Bt crops. This will also aid in identifying species which are most likely to be at risk and selecting appropriate species for laboratory bioassay, higher-tier studies, and postmarket environmental monitoring (Romeis et al 2013(Romeis et al , 2014. In addition, comparing the differences between Bt and non-Bt maize on non-target herbivore Transgenic Res abundance and diversity may offer insight into the reasons why some species of secondary insect pests benefit from planting Bt crops.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of transgenic cry1Ie maize on non-lepidopteran pest abundance, diversity and community composition

Guo

Bai

et al. 2016

Transgenic Res

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Non-lepidopteran pests are exposed to, and may be influenced by, Bt toxins when feeding on Bt maize that express insecticidal Cry proteins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). In order to assess the potential effects of transgenic cry1Ie maize on non-lepidopteran pest species and ecological communities, a 2-year field study was conducted to compare the non-lepidopteran pest abundance, diversity and community composition between transgenic cry1Ie maize (Event IE09S034, Bt maize) and its near isoline (Zong 31, non-Bt maize) by whole plant inspections. Results showed that Bt maize had no effects on non-lepidopteran pest abundance and diversity (Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Simpson's diversity index, species richness, and Pielou's index). There was a significant effect of year and sampling time on those indices analyzed. Redundancy analysis indicated maize type, sampling time and year totally explained 20.43 % of the variance in the non-lepidopteran pest community composition, but no association was presented between maize type (Bt maize and non-Bt maize) and the variance. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis showed that sampling time and year, rather than maize type had close relationship with the non-lepidopteran pest community composition. These results corroborated the hypothesis that, at least in the short-term, the transgenic cry1Ie maize had negligible effects on the non-lepidopteran pest abundance, diversity and community composition.

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“…Therefore, to assess the effect of insect-resistant plants on NTO, appropriate species should be selected (Romeis et al 2008; Garcia-Alonso et al 2006). It is necessary to select suitable species which can act as surrogates for species that should, but cannot, be tested (Garcia-Alonso et al 2006; Romeis et al 2013). The use of appropriate surrogates is a widely accepted concept for scientific experimentation and enables one to design high-quality and repeatable laboratory (and semi-field) studies with clear measurement end points and the ability to extrapolate results to other species.…”

Section: Species Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of relevant non-target organisms exposed to weevil-resistant Bt sweetpotato in Uganda

et al. 2013

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Assessment of the impact of transgenic crops on non-target organisms (NTO) is a prerequisite to their release into the target environment for commercial use. Transgenic sweetpotato varieties expressing Cry proteins (Bt sweetpotato) are under development to provide effective protection against sweetpotato weevils (Coleoptera) which cause severe economic losses in sub-Saharan Africa. Like any other pest control technologies, genetically engineered crops expressing insecticidal proteins need to be evaluated to assess potential negative effects on non-target organisms that provide important services to the ecosystem. Beneficial arthropods in sweetpotato production systems can include pollinators, decomposers, and predators and parasitoids of the target insect pest(s). Non-target arthropod species commonly found in sweetpotato fields that are related taxonomically to the target pests were identified through expert consultation and literature review in Uganda where Bt sweetpotato is expected to be initially evaluated. Results indicate the presence of few relevant non-target Coleopterans that could be affected by Coleopteran Bt sweetpotato varieties: ground, rove and ladybird beetles. These insects are important predators in sweetpotato fields. Additionally, honeybee (hymenoptera) is the main pollinator of sweetpotato and used for honey production. Numerous studies have shown that honeybees are unaffected by the Cry proteins currently deployed which are homologous to those of the weevil-resistant Bt sweetpotato. However, because of their feeding behaviour, Bt sweetpotato represents an extremely low hazard due to negligible exposure. Hence, we conclude that there is good evidence from literature and expert opinion that relevant NTOs in sweetpotato fields are unlikely to be affected by the introduction of Bt sweetpotato in Uganda.

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Deriving criteria to select arthropod species for laboratory tests to assess the ecological risks from cultivating arthropod-resistant genetically engineered crops

Cited by 107 publications

References 54 publications

Developing an in vivo toxicity assay for RNAi risk assessment in honey bees, Apis mellifera L

Developing an in vivo toxicity assay for RNAi risk assessment in honey bees, Apis mellifera L

Effects of transgenic cry1Ie maize on non-lepidopteran pest abundance, diversity and community composition

Identification of relevant non-target organisms exposed to weevil-resistant Bt sweetpotato in Uganda

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