Necrophagy
Necrophagous insects are attracted to corpses by chemical signals produced by microorganisms as they begin to break down the tissue of the organism (Thompson et al., 2013). The insects lay their eggs on the carcass, and their young develop, using the carrion as a nutrient source. The bacteria present also assist in the development of the larvae, as an alternate food source, or by making the nutrients in the carcass readily available to the insects (Thompson et al., 2013). Cadavers attract a succession of insect species, particularly beetles (Coleoptera) and flies (Diptera), which either feed on the body itself, or on other insect species present.
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Necrophagy arose from carnivorous and coprophagous (feeding on dung) species (Jolivet, 1992). It is likely the evolution from coprophagy occurred in tropical rainforests where there is a low biomass of large vertebrates, at a time where climate change resulted in the reduction of these animal species (Halffter, 1966). This resulted in a decrease in availability of the nitrogen-rich excrement produced by these larger animals, leading to carrion being the next most readily available nitrogen-rich food source (Ilkka Hanski, 2014).
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