A Preliminary Study on the Influence of Direct Sunlight and Shade on Carcasses' Decomposition and Arthropod Succession

Majola, Thembisa; Kelly, Janine A.; Linde, T. Van der

doi:10.1080/00085030.2013.10757199

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…In southern Africa, published decomposition studies have been conducted in two cities, Pretoria [5,6,17], and Bloemfontein [18][19][20][21], representing the Hhighveld grassland biome, but are lacking in other major urban centres, particularly in Cape Town. This is especially relevant given Cape Town's high homicide rate, where many homicide victims remain unidentified [16,[22][23][24], and its biogeographical uniqueness.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Inaccuracy of accumulated degree day models for estimating terrestrial post-mortem intervals in Cape Town, South Africa

Forbes

Finaughty

Miles

et al. 2019

Forensic Science International

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Inaccuracy of accumulated degree day models for estimating terrestrial post-mortem intervals in Cape Town, South Africa

Forbes

Finaughty

Miles

et al. 2019

Forensic Science International

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“…The motivation for this varies and is linked to each study's objectives. Studies seeking to determine the effects of specific variables on the decay process need to control for as many variables as possible, and excluding scavenging is the easiest way to control for it [39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52]. Scavenging is not a uniform occurrence in decomposition scenarios, so some researchers exclude it when establishing baseline data.…”

Section: Forensic Realismmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of experimental design in forensic taphonomy: moving towards forensic realism

Miles

Finaughty

Gibbon

2020

Forensic Sciences Research

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Forensic taphonomy as a discipline requires standardization to satisfy Daubert criteria for scientific data to be admissible in court. In response, there has been a shift towards quantification of methodology and estimating the post-mortem interval. Despite these advances, there are still biases and limitations within the discipline not explicitly addressed in the early stages of experimental design nor in final published works. In this article, unresolved debates with respect to the conductance and reporting of forensic taphonomic research are reviewed, beginning with the nature of experimental cadavers, human or animal analogues and their body size, and second, the forensic realism of experimental setups, specifically with respect to caging, clothing and number of carcases. Pigs, albeit imperfect, are a good model to gain a general idea of the trends that may be seen in humans in subsequent validation studies in facilities where human donors are available. To date, there is no consensus among taphonomists on the extent of the effect that body mass has on decomposition progression. More research is required with both human cadavers and non-human analogues that builds on our current knowledge of forensic taphonomy to answer these nagging questions. This will enable the discipline to make the reliable assumption that pigs and donor decomposition data can be applied to homicide cases. A suite of experimental design aspects is suggested to ensure systematic and standardized data collection across different biogeoclimatic circumstances to identify and quantify the effects of potential confounding variables. Such studies in multiple, varied biogeographic circumstances with standardized protocols, equipment and carrion will facilitate independent global validation of patterns. These factors are reviewed to show the need for adjustments in experimental design to ensure relevance and applicability of data within locally realistic forensic situations. The initiation of a global decomposition data network for forensic taphonomists is recommended. KEY POINTS Pigs are a valuable, albeit imperfect, proxy for human decomposition studies. There are few or conflicting data on effects of carcase size, carrion ecology, exclusion cages and scavengers. We recommend single, clothed, uncaged carcases for baseline research to reflect regionally specific forensic casework.

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“…Some insects show a preference for carrion in sunlit areas versus shaded areas and vice versa, although this seems to vary geographically [1,57]. Sunny areas are obviously going to be warmer than shaded areas and this speeds up decomposition [58,59], but it also has been shown to increase the diversity of blow fly species which colonize. In Alberta, decomposition rate was not affected by habitat but did impact species abundance [60] and in Saskatchewan a greater diversity of species was seen on sunlit carcasses [6].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of confinement in vehicle trunks on decomposition and entomological colonization of carcasses

Malainey

Anderson

2020

PLoS ONE

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In order to investigate the impact of confinement in a car trunk on decomposition and insect colonization of carcasses, three freshly killed pig (Sus scrofa domesticus Erxleben) carcasses were placed individually in the trunks of older model cars and deployed in a forested area in the southwestern region of British Columbia, Canada, together with three freshly killed carcasses which were exposed in insect-accessible protective cages in the same forest. Decomposition rate and insect colonization of all carcasses were examined twice a week for four weeks. The exposed carcasses were colonized immediately by Calliphora latifrons Hough and Calliphora vomitoria (L.) followed by Lucilia illustris (Meigen), Phormia regina (Meigen) and Protophormia terraenovae (R.-D.) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). There was a delay of three to six days before the confined carcasses were colonized, first by P. regina, followed by Pr. terraenovae. These species represented the vast majority of blow fly species on the confined carcasses. Despite the delay in colonization, decomposition progressed much more rapidly in two of the confined carcasses in comparison with the exposed carcasses due to the greatly increased temperatures inside the vehicles, with the complete skeletonization of two of the confined carcasses ocurring between nine and 13 days after death. One confined carcass was an anomaly, attracting much fewer insects, supporting fewer larval calliphorids and decomposing much more slowly than other carcasses, despite similarly increased temperatures. It was later discovered that the vehicle in which this carcass was confined had a solid metal fire wall between the passenger area and the trunk, which served to reduce insect access and release of odors. These data may be extremely valuable when analyzing cadavers found inside vehicle trunks. Highlights • Confinement of pig carcasses inside car trunks in southwestern British Columbia, Canada delayed blow fly colonization by three to six days • Temperatures inside cars were much higher than ambient temperatures and speeded up decomposition of the confined carcasses

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A Preliminary Study on the Influence of Direct Sunlight and Shade on Carcasses' Decomposition and Arthropod Succession

Cited by 7 publications

References 21 publications

Inaccuracy of accumulated degree day models for estimating terrestrial post-mortem intervals in Cape Town, South Africa

Inaccuracy of accumulated degree day models for estimating terrestrial post-mortem intervals in Cape Town, South Africa

A review of experimental design in forensic taphonomy: moving towards forensic realism

Impact of confinement in vehicle trunks on decomposition and entomological colonization of carcasses

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