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Bambaradeniya TB, Magni PA, Dadour IR. A Summary of Concepts, Procedures and Techniques Used by Forensic Entomologists and Proxies. INSECTS 2023; 14:536. [PMID: 37367352 DOI: 10.3390/insects14060536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Forensic entomology is a branch of forensic science that incorporates insects as a part of solving crime. Insect-based evidence recovered at a crime scene can be used to estimate the minimum postmortem interval, determine if a carcass/corpse has been relocated, and contribute to the cause and manner of death. The current review summarises the stepwise usage of forensic entomology methods at a crime scene and in the laboratory, including specimen collection and rearing, identification, xenobiotic detection, documentation, and referencing previous research and casework. It also provides three standards for the collection of insects when attending a crime scene. The Gold standard attributes to a forensic entomologist (FE) who is likely to be well-trained attending a scene. The subsequent standards (Silver and Bronze) have been added because the authors believe that this information is currently missing in the literature. The purpose is so that an attending crime scene agent/proxy with some basic knowledge and some simple tools can recover almost all the insect information required by an FE to make the best estimation of the minimum postmortem interval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tharindu B Bambaradeniya
- School of Medical, Molecular & Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
| | - Paola A Magni
- School of Medical, Molecular & Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
- Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
| | - Ian R Dadour
- School of Medical, Molecular & Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
- Source Certain, P.O. Box 1570, Wangara, WA 6947, Australia
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2
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von Hoermann C, Benbow ME, Rottler-Hoermann AM, Lackner T, Sommer D, Receveur JP, Bässler C, Heurich M, Müller J. Factors influencing carrion communities are only partially consistent with those of deadwood necromass. Oecologia 2023; 201:537-547. [PMID: 36697878 PMCID: PMC9943954 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05327-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Research on decomposer communities has traditionally focused on plant litter or deadwood. Even though carrion forms highly nutrient-rich necromass that enhance ecosystem heterogeneity, the factors influencing saprophytic communities remain largely unknown. For deadwood, experiments have shown that different drivers determine beetles (i.e., decay stage, microclimate, and space), fungi (i.e., decay stage and tree species) and bacteria (decay stage only) assemblages. To test the hypothesis that similar factors also structure carrion communities, we sampled 29 carcasses exposed for 30 days that included Cervus elaphus (N = 6), Capreolus capreolus (N = 18), and Vulpes vulpes (N = 5) in a mountain forest throughout decomposition. Beetles were collected with pitfall traps, while microbial communities were characterized using amplicon sequencing. Assemblages were determined with a focus from rare to dominant species using Hill numbers. With increasing focus on dominant species, the relative importance of carcass identity on beetles and space on bacteria increased, while only succession and microclimate remained relevant for fungi. For beetle and bacteria with focus on dominant species, host identity was more important than microclimate, which is in marked contrast to deadwood. We conclude that factors influencing carrion saprophytic assemblages show some consistency, but also differences from those of deadwood assemblages, suggesting that short-lived carrion and long-lasting deadwood both provide a resource pulse with different adaptions in insects and microbes. As with deadwood, a high diversity of carcass species under multiple decay stages and different microclimates support a diverse decomposer community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian von Hoermann
- grid.452215.50000 0004 7590 7184Department of Conservation and Research, Bavarian Forest National Park, Freyunger Str. 2, 94481 Grafenau, Germany
| | - M. Eric Benbow
- grid.17088.360000 0001 2150 1785Department of Entomology, Department of Osteopathic Specialties, AgBioResearch and Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 USA
| | - Ann-Marie Rottler-Hoermann
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein Allee 11, 89069 Ulm, Germany
| | - Tomáš Lackner
- grid.452215.50000 0004 7590 7184Department of Conservation and Research, Bavarian Forest National Park, Freyunger Str. 2, 94481 Grafenau, Germany
| | - David Sommer
- grid.4491.80000 0004 1937 116XDepartment of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vinicna 7, 12844 Prague, Czech Republic
- grid.15866.3c0000 0001 2238 631XDepartment of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Kamycka 1176, 16521 Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Joseph P. Receveur
- grid.17088.360000 0001 2150 1785Department of Entomology, Department of Osteopathic Specialties, AgBioResearch and Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 USA
| | - Claus Bässler
- grid.7839.50000 0004 1936 9721Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Conservation Biology, Goethe-University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- grid.452215.50000 0004 7590 7184Bavarian Forest National Park, Freyunger Str. 2, 94481 Grafenau, Germany
| | - Marco Heurich
- grid.452215.50000 0004 7590 7184Department of Visitor Management and National Park Monitoring, Bavarian Forest National Park, 94481 Grafenau, Germany
- grid.5963.9Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Wildlife Management, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
- Institute for Forest and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Science, 2480 Koppang, Norway
| | - Jörg Müller
- grid.452215.50000 0004 7590 7184Department of Conservation and Research, Bavarian Forest National Park, Freyunger Str. 2, 94481 Grafenau, Germany
- grid.8379.50000 0001 1958 8658Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, 96181 Rauhenebrach, Germany
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Schwegmann S, Binder N, von Hoermann C, Bhardwaj M, Storch I. Evisceration residues from hunted roe deer as a resource for necrophagous insect fauna in the Black Forest, Germany: a preliminary study. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/wlb3.01055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Nikolas Binder
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Univ. of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
| | - Christian von Hoermann
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Univ. of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
- Dept of Conservation and Research, Bavarian Forest National Park Grafenau Germany
| | - Manisha Bhardwaj
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Univ. of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
| | - Ilse Storch
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Univ. of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
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Su W, Han Q, Yang J, Yu Q, Wang S, Wang X, Qu J, Li H. Heavy rainfall accelerates the temporal turnover but decreases the deterministic processes of buried gravesoil bacterial communities. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 836:155732. [PMID: 35526627 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The influences of global climatic change require an understanding of changes in soil microbial communities under precipitation. However, little is known about how soil ("gravesoil") microbial communities associated with corpse decay respond to precipitation. Here, we explored the variations of temporal turnover and assembly in gravesoil bacterial communities in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau ecosystem via controlled rainfall simulation experiments. In our experiments, rainfall intensity was set to 2.5 and 5 mm/3 days to simulate moderate and heavy rainfall, respectively, and sampling was conducted on the 4th, 11th, 18th, 32nd, 46th and 60th day. Our results showed precipitation significantly altered bacterial abundances and community structures. Analysis of time-decay relationships revealed that precipitation resulted in a divergent succession of gravesoil bacterial community structure and abundance changes of dominant phyla, such as Chloroflexi. Moreover, in the experimental groups, our results suggested that moderate rainfall increased the deterministic processes in the initial and mid periods, whereas heavy rainfall decreased these processes of gravesoil microbial community assembly in every period compared with those in the control group. The dispersal capacity induced by stochastic processes of gravesoil microbial communities decreased over time under moderate rainfall, whereas it initially increased and then decreased under heavy rainfall. This study highlights the influence of heavy rainfall on bacterial communities during corpse decay, which can provide some inferences for predicting changes in soil microbial communities under global climatic change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanghong Su
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Qian Han
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jiawei Yang
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Qiaoling Yu
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Sijie Wang
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiaochen Wang
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jiapeng Qu
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, Qinghai 810008, China; Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Restoration Ecology for Cold Region, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China.
| | - Huan Li
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, Qinghai 810008, China; State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of pastoral agriculture science and technology, Lanzhou University, Gansu 730000, China.
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von Hoermann C, Weithmann S, Sikorski J, Nevo O, Szpila K, Grzywacz A, Grunwald JE, Reckel F, Overmann J, Steiger S, Ayasse M. Linking bacteria, volatiles and insects on carrion: the role of temporal and spatial factors regulating inter-kingdom communication via volatiles. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220555. [PMID: 36061525 PMCID: PMC9428529 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Multi-kingdom community complexity and the chemically mediated dynamics between bacteria and insects have recently received increased attention in carrion research. However, the strength of these inter-kingdom interactions and the factors that regulate them are poorly studied. We used 75 piglet cadavers across three forest regions to survey the relationship between three actors (epinecrotic bacteria, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and flies) during the first 4 days of decomposition and the factors that regulate this interdependence. The results showed a dynamic bacterial change during decomposition (temperature-time index) and across the forest management gradient, but not between regions. Similarly, VOC emission was dynamic across a temperature-time index and the forest management gradient but did not differ between regions. However, fly occurrence was dynamic across both space and time. The strong interdependence between the three actors was mainly regulated by the temperature-time index and the study regions, thereby revealing regulation at temporal and spatial scales. Additionally, the actor interdependence was stable across a gradient of forest management intensity. By combining different actors of decomposition, we have expanded our knowledge of the holistic mechanisms regulating carrion community dynamics and inter-kingdom interactions, an important precondition for better describing food web dynamics and entire ecosystem functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian von Hoermann
- Department of Conservation and Research, Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
| | - Sandra Weithmann
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Johannes Sikorski
- Department of Microbial Ecology and Diversity Research, Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Omer Nevo
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Krzysztof Szpila
- Department of Ecology and Biogeography, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland
| | - Andrzej Grzywacz
- Department of Ecology and Biogeography, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland
| | - Jan-Eric Grunwald
- Bavarian State Criminal Police Office, SG 204, Microtraces/Biology, 80636 Munich, Germany
| | - Frank Reckel
- Bavarian State Criminal Police Office, SG 204, Microtraces/Biology, 80636 Munich, Germany
| | - Jörg Overmann
- Department of Microbial Ecology and Diversity Research, Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Sandra Steiger
- Department of Evolutionary Animal Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Manfred Ayasse
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
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Dawson BM, Wallman JF, Evans MJ, Barton PS. Insect abundance patterns on vertebrate remains reveal carrion resource quality variation. Oecologia 2022; 198:1043-1056. [PMID: 35294646 PMCID: PMC9056491 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05145-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Resource quality is a key driver of species abundance and community structure. Carrion is unique among resources due to its high nutritional quality, rapidly changing nature, and the diverse community of organisms it supports. Yet the role resource quality plays in driving variation in abundance patterns of carrion-associated species remains poorly studied. Here we investigate how species abundances change with a measure of resource change, and interpret these findings to determine how species differ in their association with carrion that changes in quality over time. We conducted field succession experiments using pigs and humans over two winters and one summer. We quantified the effect of total body score, an objective measure of resource change, on adult insect abundance using generalised additive models. For each species, phases of increasing abundance likely indicated attraction to a high-quality resource, and length of abundance maxima indicated optimal oviposition and feeding time. Some species such as the beetle Necrobia rufipes had a rapid spike in abundance, suggesting a narrow window of opportunity for carrion resource exploitation, while species like the wasp Nasonia vitripennis had a gradual change in abundance, indicating a wide window of resource exploitation. Different abundance patterns were also observed between species occurring on pigs and humans, suggesting cadaver type is an important aspect of resource quality. Our findings show that species abundances, unlike species occurrences, can reveal additional detail about species exploitation of carrion and provide information about how resource quality may drive competition and variation in insect community succession.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake M Dawson
- Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
| | - James F Wallman
- Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Maldwyn J Evans
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,Department of Ecosystem Studies, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Philip S Barton
- Future Regions Research Centre, Federation University Australia, Mount Helen, VIC, Australia
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Lutz L, Zehner R, Verhoff MA, Bratzke H, Amendt J. It is all about the insects: a retrospective on 20 years of forensic entomology highlights the importance of insects in legal investigations. Int J Legal Med 2021; 135:2637-2651. [PMID: 34591184 PMCID: PMC8523412 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-021-02628-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This study highlights the importance of insect evidence by evaluating 949 insect-associated cases, including 139 entomological reports, from 2001 to 2019 at the Institute of Legal Medicine Frankfurt/Germany. With a high number of cases in the summer months and a low number in the colder season, 78.5% of the bodies were found indoors, regardless of year or month. In more than 80% of the cases, where PMI information was available (n = 704), the presumed PMI ranged from 1 to 21 days, a period during which entomological evidence can provide a day-specific estimate of PMImin. In cases where insects have been identified to species level (n = 279), most bodies were infested by one or two species with a maximum of 10 different species. Overall, a total of 55 insect species were found. Information on biology, activity and distribution of the most abundant taxa is given and applied for 5 case histories estimating different PMImins of up to over 6 months. Despite proved importance and scientific development of forensic entomology, insects are still rarely considered as a tool in forensic case work. The main reasons are a lack of awareness and (too) late involvement of a forensic entomologist. Our work shows that forensic entomology is an independent discipline that requires specialist expertise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Lutz
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-University, Kennedyallee 104, 60596, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Richard Zehner
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-University, Kennedyallee 104, 60596, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Marcel A Verhoff
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-University, Kennedyallee 104, 60596, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Hansjürgen Bratzke
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-University, Kennedyallee 104, 60596, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jens Amendt
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe-University, Kennedyallee 104, 60596, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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