Exploring microbial communities, assessment methodologies and applications of animal's carcass decomposition: a review

Abstract

Animals are an essential part of the ecosystem, and their carcasses are the nutrient patches or hotspots where nutrients accumulate for a long time. After death, the physical and chemical properties undergo alterations inside the carcass. The animal carcass is decomposed by many decomposers such as bacteria, fungi, microeukaryotes, and insects. The role of microbial symbionts in living organisms is well explored and studied, but there is a scarcity of knowledge and research related to their role in decomposing animal carcasses. Microbes play an important role in carcass decomposition. The origins of microbial communities associated with a carcass, including the internal and external microbiome, are discussed in this review. The succession and methods used for the detection and exploration of decomposition-associated microbial communities have been briefly described. Also, the applications of carcass-associated microbial taxa have been outlined. This review is intended to understand the dynamics of microbial communities associated with the carcass and pave the way to estimate postmortem interval and its role in recycling nutrients.

Investigating the impact of X-rays on decay: X-ray computed tomography as a non-invasive visualisation technique for sediment-based decay experiments

“…Importantly for decay experiments, our results indicate that the sequence of anatomical character loss is not impacted by exposure to XCT scanning, when compared to the control (Table 1-2). As it is believed that the sequence of anatomical character loss is governed primarily by the interaction between bacteria and the intrinsic structural properties of biological tissues within a carcass (as per Briggs 2003; Hilal et al 2021), we hypothesise that the internal microbial communities do not appear to be affected by exposure to X-rays at the commencement of the experiment. Therefore, our results suggest that XCT scanning is a valid technique for use in decay experiments at any point during an experiment, and it is theoretically possible to XCT scan a carcass multiple times.…”

A bibliometric analysis of microbial forensics from 1984 to 2022: progress and research trends

“…Under this circumstance, forensic entomology can provide insights by identifying the species and geographical distribution of insects, determining the growth and development state, and estimating PMI by combining the community succession law of insects on the corpse through the inspection, identification, and classification of insect specimens collected from the environment inside, outside, or near the corpse. Moreover, there are still some limitations, such as their unavailability in different seasons, different timing of oviposition, and variation in development (Hilal et al, 2021 ). However, because of its ubiquitous nature and predictable ecologies, microbes can be used as physical evidence in forensics.…”

Onthodiplogaster japonica n. gen., n. sp. (Rhabditida: Diplogastridae) isolated from Onthophagus sp. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from Japan

“…Therefore, the large amphid is hypothesised to be an adaptation to heterologous environments with high nutrient loads and humidity. This is because the substrates, e.g., dung and carrion, encompass heterologous conditions, contain many microbes and nematodes and are decomposed quickly 56,57 . Accordingly, these nematodes need to recognise environmental changes and respond to them by effectively receiving chemical signals to distinguish nutrients (foods) and natural enemies using their large amphids.…”