Papers by Denise Gemmellaro
Environmental entomology, May 23, 2024
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Sep 7, 2022
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Sep 8, 2022
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Jul 13, 2023
Wires Forensic Science, Oct 10, 2023
Journal of Fungi, Aug 21, 2023
The decomposition of animal bodies is a process defined by specific stages, described by the stat... more The decomposition of animal bodies is a process defined by specific stages, described by the state of the body and participation of certain guilds of invertebrates and microorganisms. While the participation of invertebrates in decomposing is well-studied and actively used in crime scene investigations, information on bacteria and fungi from the scene is rarely collected or used in the identification of important factors such as estimated time of death. Modern molecular techniques such as DNA metabarcoding allow the identification and quantification of the composition of microbial communities. In this study, we used DNA metabarcoding to monitor fungal succession during the decomposition of juvenile pigs in grasslands of New Jersey, USA. Our findings show that decomposition stages differ in a diversity of fungal communities. In particular, we noted increased fungal species richness in the more advanced stages of decomposition (e.g., bloat and decay stages), with unique fungal taxa becoming active with the progression of decay. Overall, our findings improve knowledge of how fungi contribute to forensically relevant decomposition and could help with the assessment of crime scenes.
Forensic Science International, Sep 1, 2017
Analysis of initial species composition between baited beef liver traps and piglet carcasses. ... more Analysis of initial species composition between baited beef liver traps and piglet carcasses. The same three species were the dominant species attracted to baits and carcasses. No Calliphora livida adults or larvae were collected from piglet carcasses.
Advances in medical diagnosis, treatment, and care (AMDTC) book series, Mar 7, 2023
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, Oct 14, 2020
Journal of Medical Entomology, Jun 7, 2019
The medico-legal section of forensic entomology focuses on the analysis of insects associated wit... more The medico-legal section of forensic entomology focuses on the analysis of insects associated with a corpse. Such insects are identified, and their life history characteristics are evaluated to provide information related to the corpse, such as postmortem interval and time of colonization. Forensically important insects are commonly identified using dichotomous keys, which rely on morphological characteristics. Morphological identifications can pose a challenge as local keys are not always available and can be difficult to use, especially when identifying juvenile stages. If a specimen is damaged, certain keys cannot be used for identification. In contrast, molecular identification can be a better instrument to identify forensically important insects, regardless of life stage or specimen completeness. Despite more than 20 yr since the first use of molecular data for the identification of forensic insects, there is little overlap in gene selection or phylogenetic methodology among studies, and this inconsistency reduces efficiency. Several methods such as genetic distance, reciprocal monophyly, or character-based methods have been implemented in forensic identification studies. It can be difficult to compare the results of studies that employ these different methods. Here we present a comprehensive review of the published results for the molecular identification of Diptera of forensic interest, with an emphasis on evaluating variation among studies in gene selection and phylogenetic methodology.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, Dec 5, 2022
One significant impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic for educators in forensic science was adapting wh... more One significant impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic for educators in forensic science was adapting what is traditionally a very applied field to a virtual learning environment. Because of this, science classes with a practical laboratory component had to implement significant adjustments to ensure that student learning objectives were still met, including practical elements. To provide learners with an alternative to a traditional lab exercise in forensic entomology, we designed an exercise to be conducted completely remotely to instruct students in how to identify a real unknown specimen using a hypothetical phylogenetic tree they create. Students retrieved data and make predictions using public databases, generate phylogenies based off sequence data, and finally determine the identity of the unknown sequence provided. This lab replacement exercise has been adapted to be accessible to learners from different academic levels and takes the length of one two‐and‐a‐half‐hour lab period to complete. Through creating this resource, we have been able to link molecular systematics to forensic education and provide learners who download this publicly available exercise insight into how forensic questions are answered.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Sep 7, 2022
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education
Advances in medical diagnosis, treatment, and care (AMDTC) book series, Dec 16, 2022
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education
Insects, 2022
Understanding the biodiversity and distribution of forensically relevant blowflies (Diptera: Call... more Understanding the biodiversity and distribution of forensically relevant blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in a region can aid in legal investigations when insects are associated with remains. For this purpose, we conducted a 14-month-long blowfly survey at the Anthropology Research Facility (ARF) of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. Traps baited with pork kidney were deployed for 24 h twice a month throughout the study. A total of 3180 adult blowflies were collected, comprising 13 species from 7 genera. Phormia regina (Meigen) and Lucilia coeruleiviridis (Macquart) were the predominant species collected from this survey, with collections representing 65.9% and 20.6%of total flies captured, respectively. In addition to relative abundance, we investigated blowfly community composition, species abundance, richness, and diversity by season. One state record was identified, with adult Protophormia terraenovae (Robineau-Desvoidy) being collected for the first time in ...
This exercise is designed to guide a learner through the construction of phylogenetic trees as a ... more This exercise is designed to guide a learner through the construction of phylogenetic trees as a means of addressing research questions in forensic science such as the identification of previously unidentified species contributing to decomposition.
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Papers by Denise Gemmellaro