Molecular Entomology, 2025, Vol.16, No.1, 28-38 http://emtoscipublisher.com/index.php/me 36 evolutionary effects. Evolutionary changes in pollinators such as honey bees often take several or even dozens of generations to manifest, while the time scale of conventional experiments and monitoring projects is limited, making it difficult to directly observe evolutionary processes such as changes in gene frequency. Evolutionary changes in honey bee populations are intertwined with multiple pressures, making it difficult to distinguish causal relationships. There are also species and regional differences that have not been fully considered. Honey bee evolutionary responses may vary depending on species (Western honey bees vs. Eastern honey bees vs. wild bees) or genetic backgrounds (Guichard et al., 2023; Lin et al., 2025). There are also technical challenges in research methods. For example, analyzing the big data of honey bee genomes requires separating adaptive mutation signals, and it is quite difficult to detect natural selection imprints from massive neutral variants. At the practical level, there is uncertainty in generalizing laboratory or simulation research findings to real agricultural situations. The behavior and gene flow of bees in the natural environment are more complex than those in experimental conditions, and there are many external interference factors, so some experimental results may not be verified in the field. 7.2 Future research trends and key technology development In the face of the above challenges, future research needs to innovate in methods and technologies to more comprehensively understand the evolutionary adaptation dynamics of bee populations. It will become a trend to use population genomics and long-term data to monitor the genetic changes of bees. The combination of multiple omics will also help to analyze the adaptation mechanism of bees. Genomics reveals variation, while transcriptome, proteome and metabolome can depict functional responses (Trapp et al., 2017). Experimental evolution and quasi-natural experiments will provide direct evidence. Semi-natural enclosure experiments can be designed to allow bee populations to reproduce for multiple generations in a controlled agricultural environment and observe their traits and genetic changes. Advanced individual tracking and behavior analysis technologies will help discover new patterns of behavioral adaptation. Using RFID radio frequency tags, computer vision tracking, etc., high-resolution recording of bee collection, dance communication, migration and other behaviors can quantify how agricultural disturbances change bee behavior. Model simulation and big data will play a role in comprehensive prediction. In addition, emerging gene editing and synthetic biology technologies may open up new paths for studying pollinator adaptability. 7.3 Future agricultural ecological practices and prospects for bee protection research Future agricultural practices need to become more eco-friendly and sustainable, not only to protect pollinators such as bees, but also to maintain human well-being. The development of sustainable agricultural models will profoundly affect the fate of pollinators and provide a "natural experiment" for scientific research. Research on agricultural pollinators in the context of climate change will become increasingly urgent. As the global climate continues to warm, the mismatch between flowering and pollinator activity periods may intensify, and new pest and disease pressures will emerge. The protection of native pollinator diversity will become a key topic. In the past, more attention has been paid to bees (especially Western honey bees). In the future, more attention should be paid to the role of local wild pollinating insects, such as stingless bees and solitary bees, in agricultural ecology, and how they adapt to environmental changes. In terms of protection practices, pollinator monitoring with the participation of all people may emerge. Murphy et al. (2022) have quantified the potential impact of pollination decline on global trade and food prices, suggesting that countries must pay attention to pollinator protection to avoid food security risks. This will encourage countries to invest more resources in policies and promote international cooperation. Acknowledgments Thank you to all the peer reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The authors affirm that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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