title: Long-Chain Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Have Developmental Effects on the Crop Pest, the Cabbage White Butterfly Pieris rapae.
abstract: Nutritional enhancement of crops using genetic engineering can potentially affect herbivorous pests. Recently, oilseed crops have been genetically engineered to produce the long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) at levels similar to that found in fish oil; to provide a more sustainable source of these compounds than is currently available from wild fish capture. We examined some of the growth and development impacts of adding EPA and DHA to an artificial diet of Pieris rapae, a common pest of Brassicaceae plants. We replaced 1% canola oil with EPA: DHA (11:7 ratio) in larval diets, and examined morphological traits and growth of larvae and ensuing adults across 5 dietary treatments. Diets containing increasing amounts of EPA and DHA did not affect developmental phenology, larval or pupal weight, food consumption, nor larval mortality. However, the addition of EPA and DHA in larval diets resulted in progressively heavier adults (F 4, 108 = 6.78; p = 0.011), with smaller wings (p < 0.05) and a higher frequency of wing deformities (R = 0.988; p = 0.001). We conclude that the presence of EPA and DHA in diets of larval P. rapae may alter adult mass and wing morphology; therefore, further research on the environmental impacts of EPA and DHA production on terrestrial biota is advisable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Stefanie M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hixson
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Kruti
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Lesley G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Rebecca H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Hallett
authors.affiliation: Department of Forestry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Sandy M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Packer
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Arts
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019607:Brassicaceae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000469:parasitology; D002080:Butterflies / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D004032:Diet; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid