“…Recent studies have begun describing human postmortem microbial communities associated with a variety of habitats, including skin (Metcalf et al, 2016; Pechal et al, 2017; Hyde et al, 2015), mouth and rectum (Hyde et al, 2015; Hyde et al, 2013), ear and nasal canals (Johnson et al, 2016), internal organs (Javan et al, 2016; Tuomisto et al, 2013), bones (Damann, Williams & Layton, 2015) and soils below (Metcalf et al, 2016; Cobaugh, Schaeffer & DeBruyn, 2015). Other studies have also reported postmortem changes associated with decomposing animal carcasses (Pechal et al, 2013a; Metcalf et al, 2013; Heimesaat et al, 2012; Burcham et al, 2016; Dickson et al, 2011). Collectively these studies are beginning to reveal general patterns of microbial succession, which include a shift towards a higher relative abundance of anaerobic taxa.…”