Colonisation Wave
Definition
A discrete succession of insect species arriving and exploiting remains as the decomposition chemistry changes. Blow-flies typically colonise first; flesh flies, beetles, and mites follow at predictable but overlapping intervals.
Related terms
- Accumulated Degree Hours (ADH)
- A temperature-corrected measure of developmental time. Calculated by summing (hourly ambient temperature minus the species-specific base temperature threshold) across the period of...
- Entomotoxicology
- The analysis of insect tissue for drugs and toxins when decomposition has made conventional biological fluids unavailable. Blow-fly larvae feeding on a...
- Microclimate
- The localised temperature and humidity conditions immediately at the body surface, which often differ from the nearest weather-station record by several degrees....
- Minimum PMI (PMImin)
- The shortest interval consistent with the entomological evidence. In practice this is what entomologists estimate: a floor on elapsed time based on...
- Post-Mortem Interval (PMI)
- The time elapsed between death and discovery or examination of remains. PMI estimation draws on multiple disciplines: soft tissue decomposition stage, insect...
Explained in
- Forensic Entomology Casework and Scene InterpretationA discrete succession of insect species arriving and exploiting remains as the decomposition chemistry changes. Blow-flies typically colonise first; flesh flie...