Occurrence of maize detritus and a transgenic insecticidal protein (Cry1Ab) within the stream network of an agricultural landscape
Open accessAbstract
Widespread planting of maize throughout the agricultural Midwest may result in detritus entering adjacent stream ecosystems, and 63% of the 2009 US maize crop was genetically modified to express insecticidal Cry proteins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis. Six months after harvest, we conducted a synoptic survey of 217 stream sites in Indiana to determine the extent of maize detritus and presence of Cry1Ab protein in the stream network. We found that 86% of stream sites contained maize leaves, cobs, husks, and/or stalks in the active stream channel. We also detected Cry1Ab protein in stream-channel maize at 13% of sites and in the water column at 23% of sites. We found that 82% of stream sites were adjacent to maize fields, and Geographical Information Systems analyses indicated that 100% of sites containing Cry1Ab-positive detritus in the active stream channel had maize planted within 500 m during the previous crop year. Maize detritus likely enters streams throughout the Corn Belt; using US Department of Agriculture land cover data, we estimate that 91% of the 256,446 km of streams/rivers in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana are located within 500 m of a maize field. Maize detritus is common in low-gradient stream channels in northwestern Indiana, and Cry1Ab proteins persist in maize leaves and can be measured in the water column even 6 mo after harvest. Hence, maize detritus, and associated Cry1Ab proteins, are widely distributed and persistent in the headwater streams of a Corn Belt landscape.
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Pollen, plant debris, and exudates from living roots or decaying plant material might enter small streams close to agricultural fields, providing potential routes of exposure for aquatic organisms.
“Pollen, plant debris, and also exudates from living roots or exudes from decaying plant material might enter small streams that often run close to agricultural fields (Rosi-Marshall et al., 2007;Tank et al., 2010).”
From Genetically engineered crops help support conservation biological control (2019) · cites this paper as Tank et al., 2010
Bt protein concentrations in aquatic systems are expected to be very low due to a huge dilution effect of running water.
“Bt protein concentrations in aquatic systems, however, are expected to be very low due to a huge dilution effect of the running water (Carstens et al., 2012;Tank et al., 2010).”
From Genetically engineered crops help support conservation biological control (2019) · cites this paper as Tank et al., 2010
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“be very low due to a huge dilution effect of the running water (Carstens et al., 2012; Tank et al., 2010).”
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Tank, J. L., Rosi-Marshall, E. J., Royer, T. V., Whiles, M. R., Griffiths, N. A., Frauendorf, T. C., & Treering, D. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Notre Dame (US)
- Department of Biology, Loyola University, Chicago, IL 60660;
- Indiana University Bloomington (US)
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale (US)
- Loyola University Chicago (US)
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2010-09-27
- Volume
- 107
- Issue
- 41
- Pages
- 17645-17650
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC2955116
- OpenAlex
- W2112608511
- Cited by
- 112
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 11.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (0415984)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Genetically Modified Organisms Research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pesticide and Herbicide Environmental Studies
- Keywords
- Cry1Ab toxin, Bacillus thuringiensis, transgenic maize, agricultural runoff, stream ecosystems, headwater streams, agricultural landscapes, land cover, Corn Belt, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois
- MeSH terms
- Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins, Agriculture, Bacterial Proteins, Zea mays, Endotoxins, Environmental Monitoring, Hemolysin Proteins, Indiana, Insecticides, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Plants, Genetically Modified, Plant Components, Aerial, Geographic Information Systems, Rivers
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