Is Forensic Entomology Lost in Space?

• Published in: Insects (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 11
• Main Authors: Boudreau, Denis R, Moreau, Gaétan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 22-12-2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Agglomeration; autocorrelation; blow flies; Cadavers; Calliphoridae; Developmental stages; Dynamics; Entomology; Forensic science; forensic sciences; Insects; Interpolation; Interspecific relationships; Parameters; semivariance; Spatial analysis; spatial statistics; Species; Taxa; spatial statistics; species distribution; Calliphoridae; forensic sciences; blow flies; semivariance; autocorrelation
• ISSN: 2075-4450; 2075-4450
• DOI: 10.3390/insects13010011

Spatial and scale effects have barely been considered in forensic entomology, despite their pervasive influence on most of the parameters affecting the development of insect larval stages and the progression of insect succession on cadavers. Here, we used smoothing/interpolation techniques and semivariograms to document the spatial dynamics of sarcosaprophageous
, an important forensic taxon, in the Greater Moncton area in New Brunswick, Canada. Results indicated that the spatial dynamics of
differed between species, some species showing strong patterns of regional aggregation while others did not. Multivariate spatial correlations indicated that interspecific relationships in space varied widely, ranging from local and large-scale aggregation to spatial anticorrelation between species. Overall, this study suggested that even within a restricted timescale, the spatial dynamics of
can operate at many scales, manifest in different patterns, and be attributed to multiple different causes. We stress that forensic entomology has much to benefit from the use of spatial analysis because many important forensic questions, both at the fundamental and practical levels, require a spatial solution.