Das Projekt "Effects of GM wheat cultivation on the decomposition of GM biomass by soil arthropods and annelids" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Bern, Abteilung Synökologie Institut für Ökologie und Evolution durchgeführt. How digestible is transgenic wheat for earthworms? Genetically modified crops are intended to be toxic for the pests that attack them. At the same time, however, they could harm beneficial organisms. Background Crop plants can be genetically modified to make them immune to pathogens such as fungi, or unpalatable or toxic for pests that feed on them. The overriding objective of plant breeders is to reduce the use of crop protection products. The same substances may, however, be harmful to animals that are important for plants, such as woodlice and worms, as they play a central role in decomposing plant material and releasing nutrients into the soil. Objectives The diversity of species and activity of selected soil-dwelling organisms are expected to provide information on the impact of transgenic plants on these important groups of animals. In addition, nutrient uptake and reproduction of selected soil-dwelling organisms will be compared in areas used to grow genetically modified wheat and areas used to grow conventional wheat. Methods Arthropods (such as woodlice) and segmented worms (such as earthworms) are beneficial invertebrates that live in the soil. Their diversity will be investigated using soil samples as part of the field trial with transgenic wheat (cf. Keller project I). Their activity and nutrient uptake will be determined by burying a constant volume of leaf material derived from transgenic wheat plants and conventional wheat plants for a period of several months. The amount eaten by the soil-living organisms will subsequently be measured. Significance Little is known about the effect of substances that may be released into the soil from the transgenic plants being investigated here. The project is using arthropods and annelid worms as an example of how to investigate this question. The ecologically oriented design of the project will also create a basis for assessing the risk of transgenic plants affecting soil fertility in open cultivation.