Cry1C is a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal protein and it can be produced by transgenic rice lines developed
in China. Cladocera species are common aquatic arthropods that may be exposed to insecticidal proteins produced
in Bt-transgenic plants through ingestion of pollen or crop residues in water. As the cladoceran Daphnia
magna plays an important role in the aquatic food chain, it is important to assess the possible effects of Bt crops to
this species. To evaluate the safety of the Cry1C protein for D. magna, individuals were exposed to different
concentrations of purified Cry1C protein in M4 medium for 21 days. Potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7), a known
toxicant to D. magna, was added to M4 medium as a positive control treatment, and pure M4 medium was used
as a negative control. Our results show that developmental, reproductive, and biochemical parameters of D.
magna were not significantly different between Cry1C and negative control treatments but were significantly
inhibited by the positive control. We thus conclude that D. magna is insensitive to Cry1C.