ABSTRACT
In forensic entomology, we use two types of insect evidence to estimate the time of insect colonization, or the minimum postmortem interval of dead bodies. One method utilizes the developmental rate of the first generation of flies to colonize the remains to estimate postmortem interval. The other method utilizes the sequence of colonization and extinction of populations of different insect species feeding and coexisting on a body as 494it decomposes from fresh to skeletal remains. This latter method uses the presence and absence of particular insect species, as well as the evidence that remains from particular insect species that were previously present, like the numbers on a clock marking the passage of time. The current paradigm in forensic entomology is that the successional pattern of insect species is predictable and depends on the specific biogeoclimatic region and habitat that the remains are in, as well as the specific circumstances (i.e., hanging, clothed, scavenged, etc.) of the remains (Anderson and VanLaerhoven, 1996; Catts and Goff, 1992; Grassberger and Frank, 2004; Tabor et al., 2004; Tenorio et al., 2003; Watson and Carlton, 2003). Thus, the majority of research that has described insect succession in decomposing remains has focused on testing different biogeoclimatic regions (Early and Goff, 1986; VanLaerhoven and Anderson, 1999), different habitats (Joy et al., 2006; Shean et al., 1993), or the varied condition of the remains, such as carcass size (Hewadikaram and Goff, 1991; Kuusela and Hanski, 1982), carcass type (Watson and Carlton, 2005), presence of clothing or wrappings (Goff, 1992; Komar and Beattie, 1998), and other variables. Although these studies have demonstrated that patterns of insect assembly exist under these conditions, and that patterns change with different conditions, as stated by Keddy and Weiher (2004), asking if patterns exist in nature is akin to asking if bears shit in the woods. Few of these studies provide insight into the actual mechanisms that shape assembly of the insect community on remains over time and space. Without an understanding of the mechanisms that influence community assembly, and therefore modify community assembly, accurate and precise prediction of insect assembly on carrion is tenuous and should encompass wide margins of error to account for potential variability in assembly.
