Variation in the community composition of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in neighboring deserts within Joshua Tree National Park.

This article focuses on the community composition of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) across the two distinct desert ecosystems—Mojave and Sonoran Deserts—within Joshua Tree National Park (JOTR) in southern California, and examines the impact of human visitor activity on these communities. Sampling from 2021 to 2023 using squid-baited traps revealed higher blow fly diversity in the Mojave Desert compared to the Sonoran Desert, with significant seasonal differences in community composition but no significant differences in species richness or diversity between high- and low-visitor activity sites. Notably, non-native blow fly species were more prevalent in low-visitor activity areas, suggesting that waste management practices in high-visitor areas may limit their development. These findings highlight the influence of environmental heterogeneity and human management on blow fly communities in desert ecosystems and provide the first species records for blow flies in JOTR, contributing valuable data for ecological research and forensic entomology in this region.