Simulated carcass decomposition microcosms

Decomposition of animal carcasses provides a high carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) resource that stimulates native soil microbial communities and introduces non-native, host-derived microbes to the environment. To determine the contributions of environment-derived, carcass-derived, or the combined microbial communities to C and N cycling, controlled laboratory microcosms were conducted under three temperatures (10C, 20C, and 30C) with different combinations of carcass-associated and native soil microbial communities to determine effects on the soil response to a simulated, pulsed nutrient event.