The assignment here is to describe the impact each of the organisms above has on the price of corn products you are likely to use. (FYI: Processed corn includes corn syrup, a basic ingredient for carbonated beverages, and corn starch, found in puddings and bakery items.) Like all "Fractured News" projects, you may use the items offered in "Bits and Pieces" as well as add your own research to explain why these specific plants, animals, and bacteria are affecting the corn growers and refiners here in the U.S.

This is a short paper (500 words) due in one week. You should send the paper by email with "Fractured News-Biodiversity" in the subject line. Images are welcome, but please remember that they must be fully cited and be used to further your explanation.

Bits and Pieces

The European corn borer, Ostrinia nubialis, is one of the major corn pests. (Cooperative Extension Services, UIUC, College of Agriculture.)

The larvae begin tunneling into the stalks about 10 days after hatching, so application of pesticides must be when egg masses are noticed. (Cooperative Extension Services, UIUC, College of Agriculture.)

Chemical insecticides can be used cost effectively to control the damage to both young and older corn plants by the European corn borer. (Cooperative Extension Services, UIUC, College of Agriculture.)

An environmental impact of chemical pesticides used to control the European corn borer is the death of nearly all the caterpillars within the crop area during the treatment period. (Biotechnology Industry Organization in Washington, D.C.)

Genetic engineering is another way to protect corn crops from damage by the European corn borer. A special Bt-corn is produced by inserting genes from the bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis. These genes are responsible for the production of a toxin that kills the European corn borer.

In the 80 million acres of corn planted in the U.S. this year, almost 22 million acres will be Bt-corn. (Chemical and Engineering News. 1999. Volume 77(21): p. 7)

In a recent article from, researchers at Cornell University in New York have discovered that nearly half of the Monarch caterpillars who were fed on milkweed leaves dusted with the pollen from genetically engineered Bt-corn die. In this experiment conducted by John E. Losey, a Cornell entomologist, the amount of pollen added to the milkweed leaves was similar to the amounts found on milkweed plants near cornfields during the pollen production by the corn. Caterpillars ate less and grew more slowly when Bt-corn pollen was present than those offered milkweed leaves with other corn pollen. (Nature. 1999. Vol. 399: p. 214)

Most of the agricultural corn crops are producing pollen during the time Monarch caterpillars are feeding. (Claim)

The Monarch butterfly, Danaus. plexippus, is found throughout North America except in the far north. (Audubon Society)

Monarch caterpillars feed solely on milkweed foliage, flower buds, and milky juice, which make the larvae and adult butterflies toxic to birds and other predators. (Audubon Society.)

The common milkweed is found in old fields, roadsides, and disturbed areas near agricultural fields.(Audubon Society)

Monarch butterflies are migratory and can fly up to 2000 miles in a year. (Audubon Society)

A winter location Monarch butterflies is in the central highlands of Mexico. (Audubon Society)

Pesticide use in Mexico has increased dramatically in the past five years. (Claim)

Monsanto, a producer of Bt-corn, is participating in an industrial/academic project to study the impacts of Bt-corn pollen on Monarch caterpillars in the field. (Chemical and Engineering News. 1999. Vol. 77(21): p. 7)

Nearly all of the U.S. corn refiners have announced that they will not accept any varieties of genetically modified corn that have not been approved in Europe. (Chemical and Engineering News. 1999. Vol. 77(22): p. 5)

The Archer Midland Daniels Company (ADM) in Decatur, Illinois guarantees the food products it processes for Europe will not include genetically modified corn. (Chemical and Engineering News. 1999. Vol. 77(22): p. 5)

Concern for butterflies has caused the European Commission, the executive organization for the European Union, to halt the processing of approvals for genetically modified corn. (Chemical and Engineering News. 1999. Vol. 77(22): p. 5)

Last year U.S. farmers lost about $200 million in sales of corn to European markets because the European Council has not approved most varieties of genetically modified corn. (Chemical and Engineering News. 1999. Vol. 77(22): p. 5)

The chairman of Cargill in Minneapolis states that genetically modified crops will be the "wave of the future." Genetically modified crops will need to be labeled since "crops with special end-user traits - such as the ability to fight cancer and heart disease-will have to be marketed separately." (Chemical and Engineering News. 1999. Vol. 77(22): p. 5)