Carrion preferences of necrophagous dipterans in Missouri’s grassland and woodland vegetation communities

Each geographic region has unique ecological characteristics that influence the composition of carrion colonizing insects. These characteristics can include weather, climate, topography, and species composition. The type of carrion can also influence the insect diversity. This study investigates potential carrion preferences of Missouri dipterans, assesses if these preferences differ between grassland and woodland vegetation communities, and describes the overall dipteran assemblages. Ten field sites along the transition zone between tallgrass prairie and forest in Missouri were used, five in tallgrass prairies and five in deciduous woodlands. At each site, three homemade bucket traps, each baited with either a bird (common quail, Coturnix coturnix), fish (grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella), or mammal (common rat, Rattus norvegicus), were used. Ultimately, this study aims to provide insight into the local preferences and assemblages of necrophagous dipterans, enhancing our understanding of their role in regional ecology and ecosystem functioning.