Name _____________________________________ PID _________________Section________ ISB 201L Insects, Globalization, and Sustainability Pesticide Resistance Evolution Simulation

The University of Nebraska has developed a simulation modeling exercise that allows students to investigate a variety of factors involved in the rate at which an insect pest population can develop resistance to pesticides. The exercise portrays the development of insect resistance to bt corn crops and / or bt pesticide sprays. This model allows the player to modify a variety of parameters in order to compare and contrast the impacts of each on the rate at which resistance evolves in the pest population.

1. Go to the following internet link: http://agbiosafety.unl.edu/education.shtml

2. 3. 4. Pan down and click on the Resistance Evolution Simulation As this was presented and modeled for you in class, you can skip the instructions and click immediately on Skip Instructions to get started. For our purposes we will only modify two of the parameters, 1) whether insect pesticide resistance is controlled by a recessive or a dominant genetic allele, and 2) how much refuge (non bt corn) is planted. In all simulations, leave all other parameters at their default (ie. migration bias, mating bias, what line of crops, and whether to spray or not). For each of the following combination of parameters, evaluate the rate at which pesticide resistance arises in the insect pest population. For each parameter combination, allow the simulation to run for no more than 25 years. In the table below, indicate what percent of the population has developed resistance after 25 years, or indicate how many years it took for 100% of the population to develop resistance.

5.

% Refugia 0% Trait Recessive Dominant

Based upon the data collected, explain the impacts of both altering the amount of refugia provided for the pest organism and also whether the resistance trait is dominant versus recessive.

5%

10%

20%