Competitive Interactions and Ecological Strategies of Sarcophagid and Calliphorid Flies Inhabiting Rabbit Carrion

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Abstract
The Calliphoridae (blow flies) and the Sarcophagidae (flesh flies) are families of Diptera containing many necrophagous species which contemporaneously exploit rabbit carrion during the summer season in central California. Calliphorids are the dominant inhabitants, but small populations of sarcophagids regularly occur on carcasses. The various species of flies are known to partition larval food resources, and we examined experimentally the role that interspecific competition plays in determining niche relationships within the fly guild. When calliphorid population density was artificially reduced by selectively interfering with oviposition, sarcophagid population density increased 6-fold. This suggested that competition from calliphorids was the principal factor limiting the population size of sarcophagids. Carcass-exploiting sarcophagids allocate a greater proportion of their resources to nonreproductive activities than do calliphorids. This is evidenced by their ovoviviparous reproductive habit, larger body size, reduced fecundity, delayed age of 1st reproduction and extended development time. The total life history strategy of sarcophagids is geared to the production of a few off-spring which rapidly utilize fresh carrion prior to exploitation, and often overexploitation, by the opportunistic calliphorids.

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