Taphonomy Research

Seitz V, McGivern B, Shaffer M, et al. (2025) CaDAVEr: a metagenome-assembled genome Catalog of microbial Decomposers Across Vertebrate Environments. Microbiology Resource Announcements. e01323-24
Higley L, Carter DO, Elowsky C, Haskell C, Haskell N, Obafunwa J, Reinhard K, Roe A, Schoenly K, Simmons T, Wells J (2025) Make forensic case reports required legal and scientific documents. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. 122: e2406456122.
Burcham Z, Belk A, McGivern B, et al. (2024) A conserved interdomain microbial network underpins cadaver decomposition despite environmental variables. Nature Microbiology. 9:595-613.
Furuta K, Byrne J, Luat K, Cheung C, Carter DO, Tipton L, Perrault Uptmor KA (2024) Volatile organic compounds produced during postmortem processes can be linked via chromatographic profiles to individual bacterial species. Journal of Chromatography A. 1728:465017.
Carter DO, Orimoto A, Gutierrez CA, Ribéreau-Gayon A, Pecsi EL, Perrault KA, Peterson AJL (2023) A synthesis of carcass decomposition studies conducted at a tropical (Aw) taphonomy facility: 2013 – 2022. Forensic Science International: Synergy. 7:100345.

Carter DO, Yellowlees D, Tibbett M (2007) Cadaver decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems. Naturwissenschaften 94:12-24.
Metcalf JL, Xu ZZ, Weiss S, et al. (2016) Microbial community assembly and metabolic function during mammalian corpse decomposition. Science 351:158-162.
Metcalf JL, Wegener-Parfrey L, Gonzalez A, et al. (2013) A microbial clock provides an accurate estimate of the postmortem interval in a mouse model system. eLife doi:10.7554/eLife.01104.
Carter DO, Tibbett M, Yellowlees (2010) Moisture can be the dominant environmental parameter governing cadaver decomposition in soil. Forensic Science International 200:60-66.
Carter DO, Yellowlees D, Tibbett M (2008) Temperature affects microbial decomposition of cadavers (Rattus rattus) in contrasting soils. Applied Soil Ecology. 40:129-137.

Metcalf JL, Burcham ZM, Seitz VA, Nieciecki V, Carter DO, Knight R (2024) Microbial ecology of terrestrial carrion decomposition via multi-omics. In: Benbow ME, Tomberlin JK, Tarone AM, eds. Carrion Ecology, Evolution, and their Applications. 2nd Edition. CRC Press, Boca Raton: FL. pp. 148 – 158.
Forbes SL, Carter DO (2025) Processes and mechanisms of death and decomposition of vertebrate carrion in terrestrial ecosystems. In: Benbow ME, Tomberlin JK, Tarone AM, eds. Carrion Ecology, Evolution, and their Applications. 2nd Edition. CRC Press, Boca Raton: FL. pp. 131 – 147.
Carter DO (2020) The importance of microbial communities in the estimation of the time since death. In: Hayman J, Oxenham M, eds. Estimation of the Time Since Death: Current Research and Future Trends. Elsevier, Amsterdam. pp. 109 – 139.
Deel H, Bucheli S, Belk A, Ogden S, Lynne A, Carter DO, Knight R, Metcalf JL (2019) Using microbiome tools for estimating postmortem interval. In: Budowle B, Schutzer S, Morse S, eds. Microbial Forensics. 3rd Edition. Elsevier, London. Pp. 171 – 191.

Carter DO, Tomberlin JK, Benbow ME, Metcalf JL, editors (2017) Forensic Microbiology. Wiley Blackwell, Chichester, United Kingdom.
Tibbett M, Carter DO, editors (2008) Soil Analysis in Forensic Taphonomy: Chemical and Biological Effects of Buried Human Remains. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA.

Pilar ALC, Francisco MV, Bratt KGM, Carter CA, Peterson AJL, Carter DO (2025) A decomposition scoring system for indoor death scenes. Proceedings of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences 77th Annual Scientific Conference. 31:694.
Metcalf JL, Burcham Z, Knight R, Carter DO (2024) A decade into developing a microbiome tool for predicting the postmortem interval: where are we now and where are we going? Proceedings of the 76th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. 30:870.
Carter DO, Carter CA, Sanger SS (2023) The things every court should know about decomposing remains. Proceedings of the 75th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. 29:595.
Burcham Z, Belk A, Emmons A, et al. (2022) Microbial dynamic of human decomposition accurately estimate postmortem interval. Proceedings of the 74th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. 28:260.
Carter DO, Peterson A, Orimoto A, Ribéreau-Gayon A, Gutierrez C, Perrault KA (2022) A long-term study of decomposition at a tropical taphonomy facility: 2013 – 2021. Proceedings of the 74th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. 28:849.

Research