Reply to Beachy et al. and Parrott: Study indicates Bt corn may affect caddisflies
- Emma J. Rosi-Marshall*,†,
- Jennifer L. Tank‡,
- Todd V. Royer§, and
- Matt R. Whiles¶
- *Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60626;
- ‡Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556;
- §School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405; and
- ¶Department of Zoology and Center for Ecology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-6508
Beachy et al. (1) and Parrott (1) have questioned some findings reported in our recent paper (1); here, we respond to issues raised by these authors. All tissues identified as “Bt” in our paper (1) were verified to contain Cry1Ab protein by using Bt Cry1Ab protein ImmunoStrips (Agdia); materials identified as “non-Bt” were similarly confirmed to lack Cry1Ab protein.
The quantity of Cry1Ab protein actually consumed (in pollen or leaf tissue) by an individual insect could not be determined because of variation in feeding rates among individuals in any particular experiment. Our goals for the research did not include developing a traditional dose–response relationship because (i) the dose depended on individual feeding rates, and (ii) a dose–response relationship …
†To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: erosi{at}luc.edu
