Crops: A Meta-Analysis of Effects of Bt Cotton and Maize on Nontarget Invertebrates
Michelle Marvier,1 Chanel McCreedy,1 James Regetz,2 Peter Kareiva1,3
Science Mag 8 June 2007:
Vol. 316. no. 5830, pp. 1475 - 1477
DOI: 10.1126/science.1139208
Excerpt…
A new study related to GM crops was released June 8, 2007. The following is part of the abstract….
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.…. A meta-analysis of 42 field experiments indicates that nontarget invertebrates are generally more abundant in Bt cotton and Bt maize fields than in nontransgenic fields managed with insecticides. However, in comparison with insecticide-free control fields, certain nontarget taxa are less abundant in Bt fields.
1 Environmental Studies Institute, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA 95053, USA.
2 National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), University of California at Santa Barbara, 735 State Street, Suite 300, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA.
3 The Nature Conservancy, 4722 Latona Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105, USA.
Full text at Science Mag.
