An Experiment to Characterize the Decomposer Community Associated with Carcasses (Sus scrofa domesticus) on Oahu, Hawaii†,‡
Hannah Dibner M.S.
Laboratory of Forensic Taphonomy, Forensic Sciences Unit, Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Honolulu, HI, 96816
SNA International, supporting Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Laboratory, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Honolulu, HI, 96853
Authors contributed equally.Search for more papers by this authorChelsie Mangca Valdez M.S.
Laboratory of Forensic Taphonomy, Forensic Sciences Unit, Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Honolulu, HI, 96816
Division of Social Sciences, University of Hawaii – West Oahu, Kapolei, HI, 96707
Authors contributed equally.Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
David O. Carter Ph.D.
Laboratory of Forensic Taphonomy, Forensic Sciences Unit, Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Honolulu, HI, 96816
Corresponding author: David O. Carter, Ph.D. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorHannah Dibner M.S.
Laboratory of Forensic Taphonomy, Forensic Sciences Unit, Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Honolulu, HI, 96816
SNA International, supporting Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Laboratory, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Honolulu, HI, 96853
Authors contributed equally.Search for more papers by this authorChelsie Mangca Valdez M.S.
Laboratory of Forensic Taphonomy, Forensic Sciences Unit, Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Honolulu, HI, 96816
Division of Social Sciences, University of Hawaii – West Oahu, Kapolei, HI, 96707
Authors contributed equally.Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
David O. Carter Ph.D.
Laboratory of Forensic Taphonomy, Forensic Sciences Unit, Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Honolulu, HI, 96816
Corresponding author: David O. Carter, Ph.D. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) carcasses were decomposed on the soil surface of a terrestrial habitat on the island of Oahu, Hawaii to begin characterizing the decomposer community. Results showed that carcasses can decompose rapidly on Oahu, primarily due to the activity of fly larvae, with ~80% of mass lost by 8 days (~220 ADD) postmortem. Scavenging was conducted exclusively by the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus), first feeding on larvae then feeding on the remains. Carcasses were habitats of warm temperature, little to no oxygen, slightly acidic/neutral pH, and high sodium concentration. Larval masses selected for a microbial community comprised of multiple bacterial taxa from phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, particularly genera Clostridium, Proteus, and Providencia. These larval masses were well established from 3 to 8 days (~90 to ~220 ADD) postmortem. These data provide helpful, novel insight into the structure and activity of carcass decomposer communities on Oahu.
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