- Title
- A review of multi-disciplinary decomposition research and key drivers of variation in decay
- Creator
- McIntyre, Donna; Dawson, Blake; Long, Benjamin; Barton, Philip
- Date
- 2024
- Type
- Text; Journal article; Review
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/204723
- Identifier
- vital:20071
- Identifier
-
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-024-03222-2
- Identifier
- ISSN:0937-9827 (ISSN)
- Abstract
- The decomposition of animal remains is a multifaceted process, involving ecological, biological, and chemical interactions. While the complexity is acknowledged through concepts like the necrobiome, it’s unclear if this complexity is reflected in research. Appreciation of the complexity of decomposition is crucial for identifying sources of variation in estimations of time since death in medico-legal science, as well as building broader ecological knowledge of the decomposition process. To gain insights into the extent of multidisciplinary research in the field of decomposition science, we conducted an examination of peer-reviewed literature on four key drivers of variation: volatile organic compounds, microbes, drugs/toxins, and insects. Among 650 articles, we identified their scientific discipline, driver/s of variation investigated, and year of publication. We found that 19% explored relationships between two drivers, while only 4% investigated interactions between three. None considered all four drivers. Over the past three decades, there has been a steady increase in decomposition research publications, signifying its growing importance. Most research (79%) was linked to forensic science, highlighting opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration in decomposition science. Overall, our review underscores the need to incorporate multidisciplinary approaches and theory into contemporary decomposition research. © The Author(s) 2024.
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
- Relation
- International Journal of Legal Medicine Vol. 138, no. 5 (2024), p. 2181-2192
- Rights
- All metadata describing materials held in, or linked to, the repository is freely available under a CC0 licence
- Rights
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Rights
- Copyright © The Author(s) 2024
- Rights
- Open Access
- Subject
- 3199 Other biological sciences; 3202 Clinical sciences; 3499 Other chemical sciences; Entomology; Microbes; Necrobiome; Volatile Organic compounds
- Full Text
- Reviewed
- Funder
- Donna McIntyre received tuition fee and scholarship funding from the Australian Government Research Training Program. Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions.
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