Effects of Cry1Ab Bt maize straw return on bacterial community of earthworm Eisenia fetida

Abstract

The eco-toxicological effects of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize on earthworm life-history traits were widely studied and the results were controversial, while their effects on earthworm bacterial community have been rarely studied. Here, effects of two hybrids of Bt maize [5422Bt1 (event Bt11) and 5422CBCL (MON810)] straw return on Eisenia fetida bacterial community were investigated by the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) combing with DNA sequencing, compared to near-isogenic non-Bt maize (5422). Bt maize straw return had significant effects on soil nutrients, especially for available nitrogen (N). The significant differences were shown in soil bacterial community between Bt and non-Bt maize treatments on the 75th and 90th d, which was closely correlated with soil available N, P and K rather than Cry1Ab protein. There was no statistically significant difference in the bacterial community of earthworm gut contents between Bt and non-Bt maize treatments. The significant differences in the bacterial community of earthworm casts were found among three maize varieties treatments, which were closely correlated with Cry1Ab protein and N levels. The differentiated bacterial species in earthworm casts mainly belonged to Proteobacteria, including Brevundimonas, Caulobacter, Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, Methylobacterium, Asticcacaulis and Achromobacter etc., which were associated with the mineralization, metabolic process and degradation of plants residues. Therefore, Bt maize straw return caused changes in the bacterial community of E. fetida casts, which was possibly caused by the direct (Cry1Ab protein) and non-expected effects (N levels) of Bt maize straw.