No evidence of an impact on the rhizosphere diazotroph community by the expression of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab toxin by Bt white spruce.

ABSTRACT: Nitrogen fixation is one of the most important roles played by soil bacterial communities, as fixation supplies nitrogen to many ecosystems which are often N limited. As impacts on this functional group of bacteria might harm the ecosystem's health and reduce productivity, monitoring that particular group is important. Recently, a field trial with Bt white spruce, which constitutively expresses the Cry1Ab insecticidal toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis, was established. The Bt white spruce was shown to be resistant to spruce budworm. We investigated the possible impact of these genetically modified trees on soil nitrogen-fixing bacterial communities. The trial consisted of untransformed controls, GUS white spruce (transformed with the beta-glucuronidase gene), and Bt/GUS white spruce (which c

SUBMITTER: Lamarche J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2075053 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature