Effects of carrion decomposition on litter arthropod assemblages

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1499-1503
Author(s):  
Samantha J. Sawyer ◽  
Christopher P. Bloch
Keyword(s):  
Carrion Decomposition

Relative Roles of Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and Invasive Fire Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Solenopsis spp.) in Carrion Decomposition

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant D De Jong ◽  
Florencia Meyer ◽  
Jerome Goddard
Keyword(s):  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Blow Flies ◽  
Complete Development ◽  
Eggs And Larvae ◽  
Entomological Data ◽  
Carrion Decomposition

Abstract Fire ants (Solenopsis spp.) have increasingly been reported from carrion in the southeastern United States and are now a part of the normal succession community. There have been previous observations of these ants altering carrion and preying on other carrion-attendant fauna; however, the overall effects of these activities on carrion decomposition rates, community composition, and blow fly larval development are poorly understood. Alteration of these ecological processes by fire ants could affect the forensic interpretation of entomological data. We conducted a study in Mississippi and Florida whereby portions of the succession fauna were excluded from access to pig carrion to study the relative effects of fire ants and blow flies on carrion decomposition and succession: a control with all fauna having access, a second treatment where fire ants and other geophilic taxa were excluded, and a third treatment in which blow flies and other large organisms were excluded. Fire ants inflicted lesions in the carrion, buried portions that touched the ground, and preyed on some members of the succession fauna. Their exclusion did not affect carrion decomposition rates that were measured but slightly affected the overall carrion community, and strongly affected the oviposition and development of blow flies. Despite the presence of fire ants early in the control, blow flies were eventually able to overcome predation of eggs and larvae, continue colonization, and complete development; however, the delay in the colonization of blow flies on carrion could affect the determination of postmortem intervals when development rates of blow flies are considered in the calculation.

Carrion decomposition and assemblage of necrophagous dipterans associated with Terbufos (Organophosphate) intoxicated rat carcasses

Acta Tropica ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 212 ◽  
pp. 105652
Author(s):  
Jéssica Teixeira Jales ◽  
Taciano de Moura Barbosa ◽  
Luana Carla dos Santos ◽  
Vanessa de Paula Soares Rachetti ◽  
Renata Antonaci Gama
Keyword(s):  
Carrion Decomposition

scholarly journals Spatial changes in soil stable isotopic composition in response to carrion decomposition

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (19) ◽  
pp. 3929-3939 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah W. Keenan ◽  
Sean M. Schaeffer ◽  
Jennifer M. DeBruyn
Keyword(s):  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Bulk Soil ◽  
Soil Biogeochemistry ◽  
Stable Isotopic Composition ◽  
Stable Isotopic ◽  
Carrion Decomposition

Abstract. Decomposition provides a critical mechanism for returning nutrients to the surrounding environment. In terrestrial systems, animal carcass, or carrion, decomposition results in a cascade of biogeochemical changes. Soil microbial communities are stimulated, resulting in transformations of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) sourced from the decaying carrion soft tissues, changes to soil pH, electrical conductivity, and oxygen availability as microbial communities release CO2 and mineralize organic N. While many of the rapid changes to soil biogeochemistry observed during carrion decomposition return to background or starting conditions shortly after soft tissues are degraded, some biogeochemical parameters, particularly bulk soil stable δ15N isotopic composition, have the potential to exhibit prolonged perturbations, extending for several years. The goal of this study was to evaluate the lateral and vertical changes to soil stable isotopic composition 1 year after carrion decomposition in a forest ecosystem. Lateral transects extending 140 cm from three decomposition “hotspots” were sampled at 20 cm intervals, and subsurface cores were collected beneath each hotspot to a depth of 50 cm. Bulk soil stable isotopic composition (δ15N and δ13C) indicated that 1 year after complete soft tissue removal and decay, soils were significantly 15N enriched by 7.5±1.0 ‰ compared to control soils up to 60 cm from the hotspot center, and enrichment extended to a depth of 10 cm. Hotspot soils also contained 10 % more N compared to control soils, indicating that decomposition perturbs N pools. Our results demonstrate that carrion decomposition has the potential to result in long-term changes to soil biogeochemistry, up to at least 1 year after soft tissue degradation, and to contribute to bulk soil stable isotopic composition.

scholarly journals Vertebrate Decomposition Is Accelerated by Soil Microbes

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (16) ◽  
pp. 4920-4929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian L. Lauber ◽  
Jessica L. Metcalf ◽  
Kyle Keepers ◽  
Gail Ackermann ◽  
David O. Carter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Soil Microbes ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Natural Phenomenon ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Decomposer Community ◽  
Carrion Decomposition

ABSTRACTCarrion decomposition is an ecologically important natural phenomenon influenced by a complex set of factors, including temperature, moisture, and the activity of microorganisms, invertebrates, and scavengers. The role of soil microbes as decomposers in this process is essential but not well understood and represents a knowledge gap in carrion ecology. To better define the role and sources of microbes in carrion decomposition, lab-reared mice were decomposed on either (i) soil with an intact microbial community or (ii) soil that was sterilized. We characterized the microbial community (16S rRNA gene for bacteria and archaea, and the 18S rRNA gene for fungi and microbial eukaryotes) for three body sites along with the underlying soil (i.e., gravesoils) at time intervals coinciding with visible changes in carrion morphology. Our results indicate that mice placed on soil with intact microbial communities reach advanced stages of decomposition 2 to 3 times faster than those placed on sterile soil. Microbial communities associated with skin and gravesoils of carrion in stages of active and advanced decay were significantly different between soil types (sterile versus untreated), suggesting that substrates on which carrion decompose may partially determine the microbial decomposer community. However, the source of the decomposer community (soil- versus carcass-associated microbes) was not clear in our data set, suggesting that greater sequencing depth needs to be employed to identify the origin of the decomposer communities in carrion decomposition. Overall, our data show that soil microbial communities have a significant impact on the rate at which carrion decomposes and have important implications for understanding carrion ecology.

Carrion decomposition and nutrient cycling in a semiarid shrub–steppe ecosystem

2009 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 637-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert R. Parmenter ◽  
James A. MacMahon
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Shrub Steppe ◽  
Steppe Ecosystem ◽  
Carrion Decomposition

scholarly journals Forensic Entomology: Arthropods collected on decomposing pig carrions in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria.

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (3a) ◽  
pp. 8-19
Author(s):  
BN Iloba ◽  
PE Odo
Keyword(s):  
Data Base ◽  
Forensic Entomology ◽  
Wiener Index ◽  
Dominance Index ◽  
Decay Stage ◽  
Post Mortem Interval ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
Cervical Dislocation ◽  
Single Sequence ◽  
Carrion Decomposition

A data base of arthropods of forensic importance was collected from pig carrions from 10th June to 10th August 2017 in the Warri city, 3 pigs were killed by cervical dislocation and left to decay while the daily assemblage of arthropods were collected from it. The result showed 5 stages of the carrion decomposition; fresh, bloated, active decay, advance decay and dry decay correspondingly despite that there was only a single sequence of decomposition. Entomofauna groups from 3 orders of Diptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera, with ten families were collected during the study while 233 insects were collected at the fresh stage, 324 were collected at the bloat stage, and 328 were recorded at the active decay stage, 405 at the advance decay stage and only 158 at the dry decay stage. The dominance index was high (0.09) at the dry decay stage but low (0.06) at the bloat, active decay and advanced decay stages. Shannon–Wiener index (H) was high (2.91) in the advanced decay stage but was low (2.52) at the dry decay stage. Arthropod from the orders of Diptera and Coleoptera were forensically significant as they used the carcasses for feeding and oviposition and could be used in the estimation of the post mortem interval while the order Hymenoptera used the carrion as extension of their habitat and as predatory ground to the necrophagous groups, it is advocated that more studies be carried out in different seasons using different animal models to create dependable data base of forensically importance arthropods in Warri and its environs.

scholarly journals Spatial changes in soil stable isotopic composition in response to carrion decomposition

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah W. Keenan ◽  
Sean M. Schaeffer ◽  
Jennifer M. DeBruyn
Keyword(s):  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Bulk Soil ◽  
Soil Biogeochemistry ◽  
Stable Isotopic Composition ◽  
Stable Isotopic ◽  
One Year ◽  
Carrion Decomposition

Abstract. Decomposition provides a critical mechanism for returning nutrients to the surrounding environment. In terrestrial systems, animal carcass, or carrion, decomposition results in a cascade of biogeochemical changes. Soil microbial communities are stimulated, resulting in transformations of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) sourced from the decaying carrion soft tissues, changes to soil pH and electrical conductivity as microbial communities release CO2 and mineralize organic N, and significant changes to oxygen availability. Over time, microbial communities transform ammonium to nitrate and potentially N2O through nitrification and denitrification. While many of the rapid changes to soil biogeochemistry observed during carrion decomposition return to background or starting conditions shortly after soft tissues are degraded, some biogeochemical parameters, particularly bulk soil stable δ15N isotopic composition, have the potential to exhibit prolonged perturbations, extending for several years. The goal of this study was to evaluate the lateral and vertical changes to soil stable isotopic composition one year after carrion decomposition in a forest ecosystem. Lateral transects extending 140 cm from three decomposition hotspots were sampled at 20 cm intervals, and subsurface cores were collected beneath each hotspot to a depth of 50 cm. Bulk soil stable isotopic composition (δ15N and δ13C) indicated that one year after complete soft tissue removal and decay, soils were significantly 15N-enriched compared to control soils up to 60 cm from the hotspot center, and enrichment extended to a depth of 10 cm. Our results demonstrate that carrion decomposition has the potential to result in long-term changes to soil biogeochemistry, up to at least one year after soft tissue degradation, and to contribute to bulk soil stable isotopic composition.

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