Carrion Ecology, Evolution, and Their Applications

About this book

The first edition of Carrion Ecology, Evolution, and their Applications brought together multiple scientific disciplines to shed light on the importance of carrion within the context of ecology and evolutionary biology, and through applications ranging from human mass disasters to habitat/ecosystem conservation. This second edition builds upon this foundation to include a huge amount of new research, consisting of 33 chapters, nine brand new and the remaining 24 substantially updated and expanded. One of the most significant changes for this edition is the coverage of aquatic ecosystems, both freshwater and marine.

The book is now represented by 73 authors from eight countries, incorporating more diverse perspectives and engagement to this multidisciplinary and expanding science. The resulting new edition showcases a broader scope of topics, geographic areas, ecosystems and history of carrion ecology, evolution and their applications for humanity. It provides the most comprehensive resource on carrion from all ecosystems of the world.

The student, academic and professional will find this book insightful and new for the fields of molecular ecology, microbiology, entomology, population biology, community and ecosystem ecology, as well as applications in forensics and human and environmental health.

Contents

Foreword
About the editors
List of contributors
Acknowledgements

Section I: Introduction to the study of Carrion Ecology and Evolution

1. Introduction to Carrion, Ecology, Evolution and Their Applications
2. The Carrion Necrobiome
3. Overview of Carrion Biology
4. Design and Analysis of Field Studies in Carrion Ecology
5. Aggregate Carrion Ecology: Mass Mortality Events
6. Role of Carrion Resources in Ecological Theory

Section II: Ecological Mechanisms of Carrion Decomposition
7. Processes and Mechanisms of Death and Decomposition of Vertebrate Carrion in Terrestrial Systems
8. Microbial Ecology of Terrestrial Carrion Decomposition via Multi-omics
9. Terrestrial Carrion Decomposition Bacteriology
10. Arthropod Communities of Terrestrial Vertebrate Carrion
11. Chemical Ecology of Vertebrate Carrion
12. Ecological Role of Vertebrate Scavengers
13. Vertebrate Carrion as a Model for Conducting Behavior Research
14. Modeling Species Interactions within Vertebrate Carrion Food Webs
15. Carrion Effects on Belowground Communities and Consequences for Soil Processes
16. Community and Landscape Ecology of Carrion
17. The Role of Carrion in Terrestrial Ecosystems
18. Terrestrial Ecology of African Carrion
19. Ecology of Vertebrate and Invertebrate Scavengers of Australian Carrion in Terrestrial Environments
20. Carrion Decomposition in Aquatic Systems: An Introduction
21. Role of Aquatic and Terrestrial Carcasses in Freshwater Ecosystems

Section III: Evolutionary Ecology of Carrion
22. Ecological Genetics of Carrion and Dung Decomposers
23. Microbial Genetics and Systematics
24. Population Genetics and Molecular Evolution of Carrion-Associated Arthropods
25. Sociality and The Necrobiome
26. Carrion and Dung Mimicry in Plants
27. Interkingdom Ecological Interactions During Carrion Decomposition

Section IV: Applications of Carrion Decomposition
28. Carrion Communities as Indicators in Fisheries, Wildlife Management, and Conservation
29. Composting As a Method of Livestock Carrion Disposal
30. Human Decomposition and Forensics
31. Death, History and Archeology
32. From Forensics and Human Health to Animal Feed: The Story of Necrophagous Flies and Insect Agriculture
33. Future Opportunities in Carrion Ecology and Evolution

Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Dr M. Eric Benbow is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Entomology and Osteopathic Medical Specialties at Michigan State University. The research in his lab focuses on microbial-invertebrate community interactions in aquatic ecosystems, disease systems and carrion ecology and evolution. All of these research foci use basic science to inform applications in areas such as human health, natural resources management and forensics. Dr. Benbow has authored or co-authored a collection of over 100 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and proceedings, many of which relate to carrion decomposition ecology. He has served on a National Research Council committee related to aquatic ecology, and is regularly invited as a speaker at international and national academic meetings related to aquatic, disease and decomposition ecology. Dr Benbow has led workshops at the international level, discussing experimental design, statistical analyses, and the importance of novel basic ecological concepts in advancing the field of carrion ecology and its applications in forensics. Dr Benbow was part of the inaugural executive committee for the North American Forensic Entomology Association (NAFEA) where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the annual NAFEA Newsletter and NAFEA Webmaster for eight years. He was the president of NAFEA from 2012-2013 and has served as an expert witness and worked on several cases that involved insects as evidence during investigations or water resource litigation. He continues a recognized research program in microbe-insect interactions that supports undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral associates. Dr. Benbow continues to mentor and co-mentor students and postdoctoral associates through research and teaching. He sees the future of ecology and evolution to fundamentally be in the hands of students and early scientists worldwide.

Dr Jeffery K. Tomberlin is an associate professor and co-director of the Forensic & Investigative Sciences Program and principal investigator of the Forensic Laboratory for Investigative Entomological Sciences (FLIES) facility in the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University. Research in the FLIES facility examines species interactions on ephemeral resources such as vertebrate carrion, decomposing plant material, and animal wastes to better understand the mechanisms regulating arthropod behaviour related to arrival, colonization, and succession patterns. The goals of his program are to refine current methods used by entomologists in forensic investigations. His research is also focused on waste management in confined animal facilities and the production of alternate protein sources for use as livestock, poultry, and aquaculture feed. Since arriving on campus at Texas A&M University in 2007, six PhD and eight MS students have completed their degrees under his supervision. Dr Tomberlin welcomes those who are interested in collaborating or gaining experience in forensic entomology or other areas of his research to visit the FLIES facility. Dr Tomberlin has been very active within the forensic science community. He, along with a colleague, initiated the first forensic entomology conference in North America as well as the formation of the North America Forensic Entomology Association, of which he served as the first president. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and has served as the chair of the Pathology/Biology Section. Dr Tomberlin is also one of the 17 entomologists who are board-certified by the American Board of Forensic Entomology (ABFE). He has served several roles within the ABFE including secretary and chair.

Dr Aaron M. Tarone is an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University. He teaches in the Forensic & Investigative Sciences Program housed in that Department and is part of the Texas A&M University Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Doctoral Program. Dr Tarone is a member of the Genetics Society of America, the Entomological Society of America, and the North American Forensic Entomology Association. Research in his laboratory is centred on genetic studies of development time and body size both in model organisms like Drosophila melanogaster and in carrion-feeding blowflies. Dr Tarone has also been a leader in developing genomic tools for non-model organisms, including carrion-feeding insects. He has been involved in genomic projects related to carrion biology that have been funded by Texas A&M University and the National Institute of Justice and he assisted in the annotation of the Tsetse genome. He hopes to use the knowledge gained from his research to increase the accuracy and precision of estimates of insect age in forensic investigations while simultaneously furthering basic knowledge in the evolutionary ecology of carrion systems.