Cadaver decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems

Forensic Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds from Decomposed Remains in a Soil Environment

“…The polarity of a compound indicates the likelihood the compound will migrate through the soil versus becoming bound to the soil particles, with less polar compounds such as hydrocarbons being detected near or at the surface . Decomposition soil is an integral part of the death assemblage and taphonomic studies have demonstrated the exchange of material between remains and the environment by identifying a variety of decomposition by-products within soil (Vass et al 1992(Vass et al , 2002Dent et al 2004 ;Carter et al 2007Benninger et al 2008 ;Van Belle et al 2009 ;Swann et al 2010a , b , c ). Several of these compounds have also been identifi ed within the headspace of decomposition Stadler et al 2013 ) and indicate that soil may act as a scent reservoir for decomposition odour .…”

“…The deposition of remains represents a large input of nutrients that will consequently alter the composition of the soil, fl ora and fauna of the area (Carter et al 2007 ;Benninger et al 2008 ;Janaway et al 2009 ). Little is known about the microfl ora involved with decomposition, however it is known to be a complex combination of intrinsic bacteria from the respiratory and digestive systems and extrinsic bacteria from soil and the surrounding environment (Carter et al 2007 ;Janaway et al 2009 ).…”

“…The deposition of remains represents a large input of nutrients that will consequently alter the composition of the soil, fl ora and fauna of the area (Carter et al 2007 ;Benninger et al 2008 ;Janaway et al 2009 ). Little is known about the microfl ora involved with decomposition, however it is known to be a complex combination of intrinsic bacteria from the respiratory and digestive systems and extrinsic bacteria from soil and the surrounding environment (Carter et al 2007 ;Janaway et al 2009 ). This diverse ecosystem encompasses both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria as well as fungi (Janaway et al 2009 ), whose metabolic pathways degrade proteins, lipids and carbohydrates to produce numerous breakdown products, including VOCs (Boumba et al 2008 ;Dekeirsschieter et al 2009 ;Paczkowski and Schutz 2011 ).…”

“…The changes to the visible appearance, chemical properties and biodiversity of the soil and surrounding environment are the result of soft tissue decomposition (France et al 1997 ;Carter et al 2007 ;. Investigators can utilize the changes that occur at a deposition site in order to aid in the detection and recovery of remains.…”

Can soil testate amoebae be used for estimating the time since death? A field experiment in a deciduous forest

“…So far, soil investigations in crime scenes have focused mainly on locating burial sites [3,4] and on the identification of soil samples recovered from suspects' footwear, clothes, vehicles or weapons [5][6][7][8][9][10]. However, a decomposing cadaver strongly modifies the soil environment and as a result affects the soil organisms [11,12]. Soil abiotic or biotic characteristic are therefore potentially useful sources of information for the presence of cadavers and PMI estimates.…”