Combining the high-dose/refuge strategy and self-limiting transgenic insects in resistance management-A test in experimental mesocosms.

The high-dose/refuge strategy has been the primary approach for resistance management in transgenic crops engineered with toxins. However, there are continuing pressures from growers to reduce the size of Bt toxin-free refugia, which typically suffer higher damage from pests. One complementary approach is to release male transgenic insects with a female-specific self-limiting gene.

Ants are the major agents of resource removal from tropical rainforests.

Ants are diverse and abundant, especially in tropical ecosystems. They are often cited as the agents of key ecological processes, but their precise contributions compared with other organisms have rarely been quantified. Through the removal of food resources from the forest floor and subsequent transport to nests, ants play an important role in the redistribution of nutrients in rainforests.