Genetic engineering has created many genetically modified （GM） crop varieties that express the cry toxin from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis （Bt）. The cry toxin, synthesized during plant growth, has insectic...Genetic engineering has created many genetically modified （GM） crop varieties that express the cry toxin from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis （Bt）. The cry toxin, synthesized during plant growth, has insecticidal properties, and can be expressed anywhere in the plant. This study aimed to ascertain the richness and species diversity of edaphic Formicidae and Coleoptera in GM cotton fields compared with the conventional non-transformed cotton crop. We analyzed data from commercial cotton fields located in the municipality of Maracaju, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The experiment was conducted during the reproductive period of cotton, employed two treatments： Bt cotton and non-Bt cotton. Samples were collected with pitfall traps. Formicidae species richness in the Bt area was lower than in the non-Bt area, but species composition did not differ between the two treatments. Species composition of Coleoptera communities also differed between the treatments because some species were more abundant in the Bt cotton area. On the other hand, the species richness of this group was similar in both areas.展开更多
文摘Genetic engineering has created many genetically modified （GM） crop varieties that express the cry toxin from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis （Bt）. The cry toxin, synthesized during plant growth, has insecticidal properties, and can be expressed anywhere in the plant. This study aimed to ascertain the richness and species diversity of edaphic Formicidae and Coleoptera in GM cotton fields compared with the conventional non-transformed cotton crop. We analyzed data from commercial cotton fields located in the municipality of Maracaju, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The experiment was conducted during the reproductive period of cotton, employed two treatments： Bt cotton and non-Bt cotton. Samples were collected with pitfall traps. Formicidae species richness in the Bt area was lower than in the non-Bt area, but species composition did not differ between the two treatments. Species composition of Coleoptera communities also differed between the treatments because some species were more abundant in the Bt cotton area. On the other hand, the species richness of this group was similar in both areas.
