Bt Research 2025, Vol.16, No.2, 70-78 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/bt 76 genetic diversity and adaptive evolution of Bt. Insertion sequences and mobile genetic elements play an important role in this process. The genetic diversity of Bt provides a lot of resources for the search of new strains. Bt strains isolated from different ecosystems often carry multiple combinations of insecticidal genes. Some strains have high virulence against many pests, demonstrating potential in the development of new biopesticides and genetically modified crops. Molecular typing and whole-genome sequencing and other technologies can help more accurately identify and manage Bt genetic resources, establish strain libraries, and facilitate subsequent functional screening. The interaction between Bt and plants, as well as its role in the plant microbiome, has also brought new ideas to ecological agriculture and biological control. Future research needs to focus on several aspects. Climate change may alter the ecological distribution, population structure of Bt, as well as its relationship with the host and the environment. Therefore, a systematic assessment of the impacts brought about by climate change is necessary. Metagenomics and high-throughput sequencing technologies can help us conduct more in-depth research on the dynamics, gene flow and ecological functions of Bt in complex microbial communities, and also discover new functional genes and dominant strains. The genes of Bt frequently transfer among Bacillus cereus populations through plasmids and insertion sequences. The use of biopesticides may also affect the structure of environmental microbial communities and genetic diversity. Therefore, long-term monitoring and assessment of gene horizontal transfer and resistance risk are required. Acknowledgments The authors appreciate the comments from Dr. Lian on the manuscript of this study. The authors also thank the group members for helping to organize the research data. 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. References Argôlo-Filho R., and Loguercio L., 2013, Bacillus thuringiensis is an environmental pathogen and host-specificity has developed as an adaptation to human-generated ecological niches, Insects, 5(1): 62-91. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects5010062 Belousova M., Malovichko Y., Shikov A., Nizhnikov A., and Antonets K., 2021, Dissecting the environmental consequences of Bacillus thuringiensis application for natural ecosystems, Toxins, 13(5): 355. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13050355 Berçot M., Queiroz P., Grynberg P., Togawa R., Martins É., Rocha G., and Monnerat R., 2023, Distribution and genetic diversity of genes from Brazilian Bacillus thuringiensis strains toxic to agricultural insect pests revealed by real-time PCR, Microbial Ecology, 86: 2515-2526. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-023-02255-1 Biggel M., Etter D., Corti S., Brodmann P., Stephan R., Ehling-Schulz M., and Johler S., 2022, Whole genome sequencing reveals biopesticidal origin of Bacillus thuringiensis in foods, Frontiers in Microbiology, 12: 775669. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.775669 Blackburn M., Sparks M., Mishra R., and Bonning B., 2023, Genomic sequencing of fourteen Bacillus thuringiensis isolates: insights into geographic variation and phylogenetic implications, BMC Research Notes, 16: 134. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-023-06411-1 Cao B., Sun X., Shu C., Geng L., and Zhang J., 2023, Identification and functional characterization of eight novel tpp family genes fromBacillus thuringiensis, Pest Management Science, 79(11): 4244-4253. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.7620 Cao B., Wang K., Sun X., Shu C., and Zhang J., 2025, Genomic functional analysis of the first highly effective Bacillus thuringiensis strain targeting hemipteran pests reveals its plant growth-promoting potential, Pest Management Science, 81(7): 4085-4096. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.8774 Da Costa Fernandes G., De Prado Costa D., De Oliveira N., De Sousa E., Machado D., Polanczyk R., De Siqueira H., and Da Silva M., 2021, Genetic diversity of Brazilian Bacillus thuringiensis isolates with toxicity against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae), Scientific Reports, 12: 14408. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18559-0
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