Succession model
Definition
The predictable sequence of arthropod species assemblages that colonise remains as decomposition progresses through fresh, bloat, active decay, advanced decay, and dry stages. Each stage has characteristic indicator species, extending the PMI window beyond what larval development alone can address.
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...
- Calliphoridae
- The blowfly family: metallic-coloured flies that are typically the earliest colonisers of exposed remains. Forensically important genera include Calliphora, Lucilia, Chrysomya, and...
- COI barcoding
- DNA-based species identification using a standard 658 bp segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. Sequences are matched against reference...
- Instar
- A developmental stage between moults (ecdysis). Blow flies have three larval instars (L1, L2, L3), each ending when the larva sheds its...
- 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
- Entomological Evidence and Post-Mortem Interval EstimationThe predictable sequence of arthropod species assemblages that colonise remains as decomposition progresses through fresh, bloat, active decay, advanced decay,...