Effect of body mass and clothing on carrion entomofauna.
Int J Legal Med
; 130(1): 221-32, 2016 Jan.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25874664
ABSTRACT
Carcass mass largely affects pattern and rate of carrion decomposition. Supposedly, it is similarly important for carrion entomofauna; however, most of its likely effects have not been tested experimentally. Here, simultaneous effects of carcass mass and clothing are analyzed. A factorial block experiment with four levels of carcass mass (small carcasses 5-15 kg, medium carcasses 15.1-30 kg, medium/large carcasses 35-50 kg, large carcasses 55-70 kg) and two levels of carcass clothing (clothed and unclothed) was made in a grassland habitat of Western Poland. Pig carcasses (N = 24) were grouped into spring, early summer, and late summer blocks. Insects were sampled manually and with pitfall traps. Results demonstrate that insect assemblages are more complex, abundant, and long-lasting on larger carcasses, whereas clothing is of minor importance in this respect. Only large or medium/large carcasses were colonized by all guilds of carrion insects, while small or medium carcasses revealed high underrepresentation of late-colonizing insects (e.g., Cleridae or Nitidulidae). This finding indicates that carcasses weighing about 23 kg-a standard in forensic decomposition studies-give an incomplete picture of carrion entomofauna. Residencies of all forensically relevant insects were distinctly prolonged on larger carcasses, indicating that cadaver mass is a factor of great importance in this respect. The pre-appearance interval of most taxa was found to be unrelated to mass or clothing of a carcass. Moreover, current results suggest that rate of larval development is higher on smaller carcasses. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that carcass mass is a factor of crucial importance for carrion entomofauna, whereas the importance of clothing is small.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Cambios Post Mortem
/
Peso Corporal
/
Vestuario
/
Conducta Alimentaria
/
Insectos
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int J Legal Med
Asunto de la revista:
JURISPRUDENCIA
Año:
2016
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Polonia