... lower levels of mycotoxins and is beneficial to some non-targeted species there are also causes for distress. The affects of Bt on other non-targeted species, like the Monarch Butterfly, is definitely cause for concern. There are also other possible risks to the health of humans and the environment such as gene flow and eventual pesticide resistance that need to ... Agency (EPA) requires that 20% of Bt field areas be planted to non-Bt corn. (Gewin) The outcome of this technique is unproven. The effect of Bt on the monarch butterfly was hitting the headlines a few years ago when Nature p...

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• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... issue. Environmentally, the most common concerns have to do with the unintended effects on insect populations, like the well-known example of the effects Bt corn pollen has on monarch butterfly larvae. Other environmentalists are concerned with the potential detrimental effects GM crops could have on the environment, like the potential for increased herbicide usage or long-lived residues in the ... ...

• Word Count: 1644
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... the targeted species, disrupting the natural food chain ("Food-). In 1999 a laboratory study was published in the magazine Nature showing that pollen from B.t. corn caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars. Monarch caterpillars consume milkweed plants, not corn, but the fear is that if pollen from B.t. corn is blown by the wind onto milkweed plants in neighboring fields, the caterpillars ... ...

• Word Count: 3593
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... as they pose as threats to our natural environment and habitat for many species of life. It has been scientifically proven that genetically modified corn is harmful to the Monarch butterfly and may ultimately wide out the entire species. With the extinction of species this may affect the biodiversity of certain habitats and environments. Genetically modified plants and animals bred for ... ...

• Word Count: 1070
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate