Biodiversity Data Journal :
Research Article
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Corresponding author: Ping Shin Lee (leepingshin@qq.com)
Academic editor: Chelmala Srinivasulu
Received: 21 Jun 2023 | Accepted: 06 Sep 2023 | Published: 12 Sep 2023
© 2023 Ping Shin Lee, Min Hui Dong, Xin Lei Yan, Tian Yi He, Shang Fei Yu, Suk Ling Wee, John Wilson
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Lee PS, Dong MH, Yan XL, He TY, Yu SF, Wee SL, Wilson JJ (2023) Blowfly-derived mammal DNA as mammal diversity assessment tool: Determination of dispersal activity and flight range of tropical blowflies. Biodiversity Data Journal 11: e108438. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e108438
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Mammalian DNA extracted from the invertebrates, especially blowfly-derived DNA, has been suggested as a useful tool to complement traditional field methods for terrestrial mammal monitoring. However, the accuracy of the estimated location of the target mammal detected from blowfly-derived DNA is largely dependent on the knowledge of blowflies' dispersal range. Presently, published data on adult blowfly dispersal capabilities remain scarce and mostly limited to temperate and subtropical regions, with no published report on the adult blowfly dispersal range in the Tropics. We seek to determine the blowfly flight range and dispersal activity in a tropical plantation in Malaysia by mark-release-recapture of approximately 3000 wild blowflies by use of rotten fish-baited traps for nine consecutive days. Out of the 3000 marked Chrysomya spp., only 1.5% (43) were recaptured during the 9-day sampling period. The majority of the blowflies (79%) were recaptured 1 km from the release point, while 20.9% were caught about 2-3 km from the release point. One individual blowfly travelled as far as 3 km and before being recaptured, which was the maximum dispersal distance recorded in this study. This result suggests that the estimated locations of the mammals detected from blowfly-derived iDNA is likely to be within 1-2 km radius from the origin of the blowfly sampling location. However, a more accurate estimated distance between the target mammal and the blowfly sampling location requires further investigation due to various factors, such as blowfly species, wind speed and direction that may potentially affect the blowfly dispersal activities. This study contributes further understanding on the development of a blowfly-derived DNA method as a mammalian monitoring tool in the tropical forests.
dispersal range, blowflies, iDNA, mammal diversity, tropics
Invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA) has recently been suggested as an alternative to traditional field methods for surveying and monitoring mammalian biodiversity (
The mobility of the iDNA-carrying fly species could impact the spatio-temporal resolution of the iDNA data (
Knowledge of the invertebrate dispersal range is essential for estimating the location of the mammal species relative to the location where the invertebrates were collected (
Daily dispersal, dispersal range and recapture rate of adult flies in published mark-release-recapture studies as summarised by dipteran family and species, marking techniques and regions.
Family |
Species | Marking techniques |
Regions |
Daily dispersal |
Dispersal range | Recapture rate | References |
Calliphoridae |
Calliphora nigribarbis |
Correction fluid |
Subtropical (Ikumo-Makka, Japan) |
1.250 – 1.789 km |
Not estimated |
0.014% - 0.029% |
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Chrysomya albiceps |
32P-orthophosphate |
Subtropical (Kruger National Park, South Africa) |
2.20 km |
Not estimated |
0.1 - 0.45% |
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Chrysomya marginalis |
32P-orthophosphate |
Subtropical (Kruger National Park, South Africa) |
2.35 km | Not estimated |
0.13 - 0.93% |
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Lucilia sericata |
Fluorescent dust |
Temperate (South West England) |
0.11 - 0.15 km |
Not estimated |
4-14% |
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Phormia regina |
32P-orthophosphate |
Subtropical (West Virginia, USA) |
Not estimated |
9-16 km |
< 1% |
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Callitroga macellaria |
32P-orthophosphate |
Subtropical (Savannah, USA) |
Not estimated |
1.6-4.8 km |
0.8-6.0% |
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Phaenicia spp. |
32P-orthophosphate |
Subtropical (Savannah, USA) |
Not estimated |
2.4 km |
0-3.8% |
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Sarcophagidae |
Sarcophaga spp. |
32P-orthophosphate |
Subtropical (Savannah, USA) |
Not estimated |
2.4 km |
0-3.3% |
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Muscidae |
Musca domestica |
Fluorescent dust |
Tropical (Selangor, Malaysia) |
Not estimated |
2.05 km |
0.016-0.023% |
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Musca domestica |
32P-orthophosphate |
Subtropical (Savannah, Georgia) |
Not estimated |
2.4 km |
0.4-3.9% |
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Musca autumnalis |
Immunomarking with egg white |
Temperate (Prosser, USA) |
Not estimated |
≤ 0.1 - ≥ 0.45 km |
16.3% |
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Drosophilidae |
Drosophila spp. |
Fluorescent dust |
Temperate (New Jersey, USA) |
Not estimated |
0 - > 0.06 km |
10% |
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Tephritidae |
Anastrepha ludens |
Fluorescent dye |
Tropical (Nuevo Leon, Mexico) |
Not estimated |
0.1-7 km |
0.7-1% |
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Zeugodacus cucurbitae |
Enamel paint |
Subtropical (Ishigaki Island, Japan) |
Not estimated |
≤ 0.1 km |
0.26-8.99% |
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Considering the implications of the dispersal capabilities of blowflies (Family: Calliphoridae) might have on the development of a mammal monitoring tool via blowfly-derived DNA, we seek to determine the dispersal activities and flight range of blowflies in the tropical forests by conducting a mark-release-recapture study of Chrysomya spp. in a selected plantation in Malaysia.
Study site
Our study was conducted at a rubber plantation in Kuala Kalumpang, Selangor (Fig.
The map is showing the location of the rubber plantation, Kalumpang, Selangor where the fieldwork of dispersal range of blowflies is conducted. Inset showing the mark-release-recapture experimental design, with X denoting the release point of blowflies and solid dots represented recapture points by using rotten fish-baited traps.
Collection and marking of blowflies
Adult blowflies were collected using traps baited with ca. 200 g rotten fish (hereafter referred to as blowfly traps) (
Release and recapture of blowflies
On 27 December 2015, the marked blowflies, approximately 3,000 individuals, were released at 10:00 h, i.e. within the active flight activity of blowflies (
Identification of trapped flies
Captured blowflies were examined for the presence of fluorescent powder on their bodies under ultraviolet (UV) light in a dark room. The number of marked blowflies recaptured at different days-after-release (DAR) and distance from the release point were recorded accordingly (Suppl. material
Forty-three Chrysomya spp., representing 1.5% of the total released, were recaptured between 1 3 km radius from the release point during the 9-day experimental period (Fig.
The recapture rate of released marked blowflies showed a clear decreasing trend with days after release. Of the 43 blowflies recaptured within 6-DAR, 1-DAR recorded the highest recapture rate (32.6%; 14 individuals), followed by 2-DAR (25.6%; 11 individuals), 3-DAR (13.9%; 6 individuals), 4-DAR (11.6%; 5 individuals), 5-DAR (9.3%; 4 individuals) and 6-DAR (7.0%; 3 individuals). The only one blowfly recaptured at 3 km radius from the release point was recaptured at 5-DAR. No blowflies were recaptured after 6-DAR although the trapping lasted for nine days following the initial release (Fig.
In terms of directional movement of the marked blowflies after release, at 1 km radius, the ratio of the 34 recaptured blowflies according to the four cardinal directions (north: east: south: west) was 1 : 2.4 : 1.8 : 1.6. This showed that more blowflies were heading to the east, followed by south and west directions and the least recaptured were in the north direction of the field site. At 2 km radius, out of the eight marked blowflies, there was no fly recaptured in the north, but only one (12.5%) recaptured in the east. Most of the marked blowflies headed to the south (50%; 4 individuals) and southwest (37.5%; 3 individuals). The single blowfly recaptured at 3 km radius from the same release point was also recaptured in the southwest.
This is the first report of blowfly dispersal in a tropical setting, based on mark-release-recapture. The dispersal range of Chrysomya blowflies was between 1 to 3 km within 6 days after release. Most of the blowflies (79%) were recaptured at 1 km from the release point throughout the sampling period, whereas approximately 21% were recaptured 2-3 km away from the release point. No blowflies were recaptured at a distance of more than 3 km from the release point. This suggests that Chrysomya spp. did not disperse widely, in the range of six days. The daily dispersal distance of < 3 km recorded for Chrysomya spp. is similar to the estimated daily dispersal of 2.20 km and 2.35 km reported for Chrysomya albiceps and Chrysomya marginalis, respectively in the subtropical region of South Africa (
The maximum estimated flight distance for blowflies varied depending on species and regions (
The recapture rates of blowflies at different distances from the release point were low (0.02-1.1%) throughout the sampling period. This result is similar with the widely-reported low recapture rates in most of the blowfly dispersal studies (see Table
The majority of Chrysomya spp. blowflies in our study appeared to disperse to the east, followed by south and west at 1 km radius. This could be due to blowflies being attracted towards a small town that is located in the direction of east, where human activities, such as garbaging and farming, are apparent. However, further at 2 km radius from the release point, most of the blowflies were recaptured at the south and southwest direction and the only one marked fly found at 3 km was also in the direction of southwest. The dominant wind direction during the first three days of fieldwork period was northeast, but whether it contributed towards blowfly directional movement remains to be investigated considering the low daily mean wind speed of 0.4-1.0 m/s throughout this first 3 day period (Suppl. material
Detectable mammalian DNA in blowfly guts is only limited to 4 days post-feeding (
The use of blowfly-derived DNA mammal monitoring tool, together with the knowledge on short temporal persistence of detectable mammal DNA and blowfly dispersal range as indicated from our study, may increase the possibilities of detecting and locating more mammal species in future biodiversity assessment and monitoring. However, there still remains the knowledge gap on blowfly dispersal activities under the influences of surrounding environmental factors, such as solar radiation, rainfall, temperature and wind activity (
This study represents the first experimental indication of blowfly dispersal in the Tropics, based on mark-release-recapture method. The estimated location of the targeted mammal via detection from blowfly-derived DNA is likely to be 1-2 km radius and not exceeding 3 km from the location where blowflies were sampled. A more precise estimation of the distance between the targeted mammal and sampled blowflies for monitoring mammals requires more in-depth studies and with inclusion of other environmental factors that could be potentially influencing blowfly dispersal activities and flight range. This certainly warrants future investigation.
Special thanks to Lee Yoon Hin, Lee Sueh Loong and Ng Eain Yi in assisting the fieldwork.
National Natural Science Foundation of China (32001222), Nagao Environment Foundation Japan and National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for Undergraduates (2022058011) supported the study.
JJW and SLW designed the research. PSL performed the fieldwork. PSL and SLW performed genus identification of blowflies. PSL analysed the data. PSL, MHD and TYH wrote the manuscript with the input from all the authors. All authors edited the manuscript.
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. All co-authors have seen and agree with the contents of the manuscript.
The number of blowflies recaptured, based on number of days since released and distances of blowflies recaptured from the release point (1-5 km).
Records of daily mean wind speed, maximum wind speed and wind direction during the sampling period.