Ingestion and excretion of two transgenic Bt corn varieties by slugs

Abstract

The release of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn expressing various Cry endotoxins has raised concern that these endotoxins are disseminated in the food web and may adversely affect non-target beneficial organisms, such as predators and organisms of the decomposer food web. We therefore investigated in a laboratory study, whether the Cry1Ab and Cry3Bb1 protein from Bt corn could potentially be transferred to such organisms by measuring the Cry protein content in the two common agricultural slug pests Arion lusitanicus and Deroceras reticulatum and their feces. We measured Cry1Ab and Cry3Bb1 protein concentration in leaves, intestines, and feces of corn leaf-fed slugs using ELISA and determined how much of the ingested protein is excreted by the slugs. Cry3Bb1 concentration in leaves of DKC5143Bt corn was significantly higher than Cry1Ab concentration in leaves of N4640Bt corn. While slugs were feeding on corn leaves, the Cry3Bb1 and Cry1Ab proteins were found in intestines and feces of both slug species. Bt protein concentrations in intestines of Cry3Bb1 corn-fed slugs were in both slug species higher than in Cry1Ab corn fed slugs, whereas no differences between Cry3Bb1 and Cry1Ab protein in feces were found. After slugs had ceased feeding on Bt corn, Cry1Ab was detectable in fresh slug feces for a significantly longer time and often in higher amounts than the Cry3Bb1. Our results indicate that both Cry proteins are likely to be transferred to higher trophic levels and to the decomposer food web. Since different Bt proteins seem to vary in their degradation, they have different transfer probabilities. This should be considered in risk assessments for non-target arthropods.