Twenty-one large vertebrate carcasses were monitored throughout decomposition in a mixed flatwood forest in East Baton Rouge Parish, LA during the spring and fall of 1999, and winter of 2000. Each seasonal experiment included one Louisiana black bear, two White-tailed deer, two American alligators, and two swine as an experimental reference. Faunal succession data collected by pitfall traps for each carcass were analyzed using two statistical METHODS: 1) principle component analysis (PCA); and 2) cluster analysis. Both statistical tests were shown to be useful tools for illustrating succession patterns associated with decaying remains. PCA was performed to identify the dominant taxa contributing to the overall variance explained for each vertebrate carcass, animal type, and season studied. Visual identification of high correlations among principle components was achieved using the cluster analysis. The resulting dendrograms were biologically informative because they reveal species assemblages correlated with various stages of decomposition for each carcass. These methods facilitated identification of secondary indicator species not usually considered in forensic investigations.
Species 1: Diptera Calliphoridae Phormia regina (black blow fly)
Species 2: Coleoptera Histeridae Euspilotus assimilus
Species 3: Coleoptera Staphylinidae Creophilus maxillosus (rove beetle)
Keywords: forensic entomology
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