The unicellular green alga, Chlorella sorokiniana Shihira and Krauss, was cultured in vitro using an inorganic growth medium with various concentrations of the herbicide glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine]. Growth rates, in terms of ceil doublings per day, were determined for cells inoculated into media containing from 5.91 × 10−6 M to 591 × 10−6M glyphosate. Comparisons with a control, which supported 10.4 doublings/day, showed growth only slightly reduced at 5.91 × 10−6M and 11.8 × 10−6M, with averages of 9.7 and 9.5 doublings/day; reduced by more than half at 17.7 × 10−6M with an average of 4.4 doublings/day; and prevented at all higher concentrations. In addition to completely preventing growth at 23.7 × 10−6M and above, glyphosate seemed to cause a deterioration of the inoculum cells. Filtering the media containing 5.91 × 10−6M, 11.8 × 10−6M, and 17.7 × 10−6M through kaolinite prior to introduction of the alga reduced the inhibition previously noted at 17.7 × 10−6M and resulted in growth rates from 9.1 to 9.5 doublings/day.

Termites are an important component of savannah ecosystems throughout Africa. Despite their importance in the ecosystem, they can be serious pests of structures, houses, rangelands, tropical forestry, and agriculture. For many decades, chemical insecticides have remained popular for termite management worldwide. However, with the growing environmental concerns over pesticides, biological control using entomopathogenic fungi such as Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin has become an often-considered alternative. Metarhizium anisopliae is an ubiquitous, naturally occurring pathogen, which has been reported infecting over 200 insect species; therefore, there is concern that use of M. anisopliae may affect non-target organisms. The effects of M. anisopliae isolate ICIPE 30 were experimentally tested on the ants which associate with Odontotermes spp. termite mounds. Laboratory bioassays were carried out to assess the effects of direct exposure to M. anisopliae on Crematogaster mimosae and Camponotus spp. In addition, ant diversity was monitored over 18 months from termite mounds treated with M. anisopliae in situ near the Mpala Research Centre in Laikipia District of central Kenya. Results obtained revealed no effects of direct exposure to M. anisopliae isolate ICIPE 30 on the mortality of C. mimosae (F1 = 7.29, P = 0.0072) or Camponotus spp. (F1 = 13.01, P = 0.0004) in the laboratory. No significant difference in Shannon indices of ant diversity from treated and untreated mounds (F1 = 0.016, P = 0.8989) was found. It is evident that M. anisopliae has no negative effects on ants that are associated with Odontotermes spp. termites.

Auchenorrhyncha (planthoppers and leafhoppers) are herbivorous organisms that can ingest Cry proteins from genetically engineered Bt-crops depending on their feeding behaviour. Consequently, they might be directly affected by non-target Bt-protein action and more importantly serve as a source of Cry protein exposure to beneficial predatory arthropods. During a three year field study, we surveyed the community of Auchenorrhyncha in Diabrotica-resistant Bt-maize DKc5143-Bt (event MON88017), its near-isogenic line and two conventional hybrids using sweep netting and custom made sticky traps. Zyginidia scutellaris (Herrich-Schäffer) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) represented more than 60% of all captured individuals, indicating that it is the dominant leafhopper within the maize community. The statistical analysis of Z. scutellaris data using confidence intervals for the ratios of mean abundance showed no consistent differences between the Bt-maize and the near-isogenic cultivar, indicating no negative impact of event MON88017. The two conventional hybrids Benicia and DK315 exhibited differences in terms of Z. scutellaris densities, which were greater than those observed between MON88017 and the near-isogenic line, but also not consistent over the years. Six more species accounted for an additional 39% of all captured specimens, while ten more species were found only as single individuals and can be considered vagrants from neighbouring habitats. These results inform future field work on the non-target impact of Bt-maize on this group of arthropods and monitoring approaches to assess biological control function by surveying herbivore communities.

Massive mosquito nuisance problems, caused by the flood-water mosquito Aedes sticticus, occur after floods in the flood plains of the River Dalälven, central Sweden. Since 2002, the biological mosquito larvicide Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) has been used to control these mosquitoes. Here, we report results from the first six years of monitoring Chironomidae, the most susceptible non-target organisms, in three wetlands with Bti-treatment against mosquitoes and in three wetlands without treatment. Emergence traps were used for continuous insect sampling from May to September each year, 2002–2007, and were emptied once a week. A total of 21,394 chironomids of 135 species were collected, and the subfamily Orthocladiinae dominated the fauna followed by Chironominae and Tanypodinae. The annual chironomid production in the wetlands was low, with an average of 1917 individuals per m2, and 42 g ash-free dry weight per m2. We found no reduced production of chironomids at neither family, nor subfamily level, in Bti-treated as compared to untreated wetlands. This is the first long-term follow-up study of the possible effects of Bti-based mosquito larval control on chironomid species production. In the short-term view, one species had higher production in treated areas. In the long-term view, four species had higher and one species had lower production in treated areas. We conclude that the Bti-based control of flood-water mosquitoes does not cause any major direct negative effects on chironomid production, and therefore does not seem to induce any risk for indirect negative effects on birds, bats or any other predators feeding on chironomids.