CLIMATE CHANGE AND MULTI-STRESSOR IMPACTS ON SOLITARY BEES IN AGROECOSYSTEMS: ECOLOGY, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND CLIMATE-RESILIENT CONSERVATION STRATEGIES

Abstract

Solitary bees are one of the most biodiverse and efficient pollinators in nature and they play a vital role in biodiversity, ecological processes, and also agriculture. But now their population is threatened by climate change. This review will analyze scientific literatures about the effects of climate change on the ecology and conservation of solitary bees. Phenology, physiology, reproductive ecology, species distribution, pollination services, conservation of climate change will also be analyzed. Information about interaction of climate change with habitat fragmentation, pesticides, nutritional stress and microbiome was critically reviewed. climate change greatly affects the phenology, distribution, reproductive efficiency, and pollination services of solitary bees. Species specific traits like thermal tolerance, nesting strategy, dispersal ability, and dietary specialization, largely determines the vulnerability and resilience to climate change. Multiple stressors act synergistically in order to reduce bee fitness and population stability. Emerging technologies like environmental DNA, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and ecological forecasting offer new opportunities for pollinators monitoring and adaptive management strategies. Climate change poses a major threat to solitary bee diversity and also to the ecosystem services that are provided by them. Integrated conservation strategies that restore habitats, enhance floral and nesting resources, and by diversifying landscapes, and mitigating pesticide risk would be some supporting factors. A climate resilient solitary bee conservation framework is proposed to support evidence-based conservation and sustainable pollination services under future environmental change.