Simulating natural enemy abundance and biocontrol in Bt maize

Maize and other crops have been genetically engineered to produce Bt proteins that control certain insect pests. As target pests feed on the crop and are controlled by the Bt proteins, they are removed from the system and are subsequently not available as prey items to sustain natural enemies. The result of prey removal on natural enemies was simulated using an individual based model. As expected, natural enemies that were reliant on the pest targeted by the Bt crop were affected; however, generalist predators were more resilient to prey removal due to the utilization of additional food resources.