Investigating patterns of blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) community assembly in southern California’s ecological mosaic

Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) serve in many ecosystem services, such as decomposition, nutrient recycling, and pollination. Beyond their role in keeping the ecosystem healthy, they are also important in forensic investigations involving insect evidence and can mechanically vector diseases that harm animals, including humans. While these flies are widespread, we lack detailed information about the communities and variables that influence their community assembly in southern California. Southern California is a unique region that encompasses vastly different environments, including deserts, forested mountains, and coastal regions all within a 200-mile radius. To investigate community assembly patterns in this ecological mosaic, we conducted a two-year long survey of blow fly species across four different southern California ecoregions using baited traps. From 2022-2023, we collected and identified 20,026 blow flies from 40 sites, with Lucilia and Chrysomya being the most abundant genera. The results from this study provide insight into how southern California environments have shaped community assembly of blow fly populations. We begin to address the primary community assembly processes that dictate blow fly communities across these environments and whether they differ.