biostudies-literatureVitenberg TIsrael Science Foundation3https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9673256biostudies-literatureUnknown22(6)Detritivorous insects that flourish in decaying environments encounter microorganisms throughout their life cycle. However, it is not clear whether the microbial composition of the decaying environment affects the microbial composition of the insect gut, or whether the opposite is true, with the microorganisms that are adapted to the insect's digestive system being dispersed by the insects to new habitats, thereby becoming more and more common in the environment. To test these questions the fungal composition of the black soldier fly (BSF) (Stratiomyidae; Hermetia illucens Linnaeus) larval gut and its surrounding decaying environment (household compost bins) were analyzed using amplicon sequencing. Constancy in the dominance of the genus Candida (Debaryomycetaceae) in most of the environmeJournal of insect science (Online)Assessing Fungal Diversity and Abundance in the Black Soldier Fly and its Environment.PMC96732561167/21Opatovsky IVitenberg TfalseAssessing Fungal Diversity and Abundance in the Black Soldier Fly and its Environment.Detritivorous insects that flourish in decaying environments encounter microorganisms throughout their life cycle. However, it is not clear whether the microbial composition of the decaying environment affects the microbial composition of the insect gut, or whether the opposite is true, with the microorganisms that are adapted to the insect's digestive system being dispersed by the insects to new habitats, thereby becoming more and more common in the environment. To test these questions the fungal composition of the black soldier fly (BSF) (Stratiomyidae; Hermetia illucens Linnaeus) larval gut and its surrounding decaying environment (household compost bins) were analyzed using amplicon sequencing. Constancy in the dominance of the genus Candida (Debaryomycetaceae) in most of the environme2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Nov2025-04-19T20:33:54.67Z2025-04-19T20:33:54.67ZS-EPMC96732563639885110.1093/jisesa/ieac066