Cadaveric Decomposition Island (CDI)
Definition
The patch of soil beneath and around a decomposing body, enriched in nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic compounds from decomposition fluids. CDI chemistry and its associated invertebrate communities persist for years and can betray the former presence of a body even after remains are removed.
Related terms
- Accumulated Degree Hours/days (ADH/ADD)
- A temperature-corrected measure of thermal energy available for insect development, calculated by summing the degrees above a species-specific base temperature over time....
- Autolysis
- Self-digestion of cells after death caused by the release of lysosomal enzymes. No microbial involvement is required. Autolysis begins within minutes of...
- Postmortem Interval (PMI)
- The elapsed time since death. Entomological PMI estimation uses the developmental stage and known growth rates of insects colonising the body to...
- Putrefaction
- Decomposition of tissues by microorganisms, principally anaerobic bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract. Products include hydrogen sulphide, methane, ammonia, and putrescine, which cause...
- Succession Wave
- A cohort of insect species arriving at a body as one decomposition stage creates the conditions they require. Each wave modifies the...
Explained in
- Decomposition Stages and the Cadaver as a HabitatThe patch of soil beneath and around a decomposing body, enriched in nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic compounds from decomposition fluids. CDI chemistry and i...