I study the evolution and management of insect resistance to biological and synthetic insecticides. The evolution of resistance to insecticides has been documented in more than 500 insect species.
Resistance has an enormous impact worldwide on control of crop pests and vectors of human disease.
It also provides exceptional opportunities to analyze fundamental evolutionary processes in action. Recent commercialization of transgenic crops that express Bt toxins has increased the chances that pests will evolve resistance to these environmentally benign insecticides. Thus, knowledge about resistance to these toxins can have immediate applications. Evolution of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis . Tabashnik, B. E. , Y. B. Liu, N. Finson, L. Masson and D. G. Heckel.