Final answer:
Flies, such as blowflies, lay their eggs on maggots on a dead body. The eggs hatch into larvae, or maggots, which develop into adult blowflies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Flies, such as blowflies, lay their eggs on maggots. When blowflies arrive on a dead body, they lay their eggs on the maggots already feeding on the decaying flesh. This is a natural part of their life cycle. The eggs hatch into larvae, or maggots, which then develop into adult blowflies. After blowflies arrive on a body, it is the adult blowflies themselves that lay their eggs on the decomposing flesh and not on existing maggots. The eggs hatch into larvae, commonly known as maggots, which feed on the decaying tissue. Interestingly, this process is significant in the field of forensic science, as forensic entomologists can estimate the time of death based on the developmental stages and types of maggots found on cadavers. The foundational experiment by Francesco Redi in the 17th century provided evidence that maggots do not arise spontaneously but are the offspring of flies. Redi showed that when meat was kept in a container sealed with gauze, preventing flies from contacting the meat directly, no maggots developed, thus supporting the conclusion that fly eggs, laid by adult flies, are necessary for maggot generation. In some medical practices, maggot therapy is employed to effectively clean wounds by feeding on dead tissue, thereby preventing or treating gangrene. This treatment demonstrates another fascinating utility of blowfly larval stages in a field apart from forensic applications.