An interesting theory is being floated by the Forensic Anthropology Center, located at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. It is the first (est. 1980) of what are now 7 "Body Farms", all associated with universities throughout the US. The body farms take donated cadavers and place them in different environments, and then record the changes over time in the decomposition. This aids law enforcement in determining how long a cadaver may have been dead.
 
Their theory centers around the explosion of nitrogen and many other nutrients and microbiomes that happens when a decomposing body bursts open. They believe this must have some effect that can be evident in the plant life nearby, such as changing the color of tree leaves, for example. They are using drones for the study.
 
I mentioned the article to my wife, who is a retired K-9 officer who worked with a cadaver dog, and she just said "there's nothing like a dog".

Even if the nitrogen rich soil changed the color of the plants I wonder how many seasons it would take to deplete it and the plants return to normal.

We have the cold weather body farm right here in MQT.

There was a reference to this phenomenon by Spencer Tracey in the movie "Bad Day at Black Rock".

quote:

As a large mammal like a human decomposes in a forest, its breakdown transforms the soil in a number of ways. The body's "necrobiome"—all the bacteria that was already in it when it was alive—replicates like crazy in the absence of an immune system. This necrobiome mixes with the microbes in the dirt. "The soil microbiome will change and, of course, the plant roots will also sense some changes," says Stewart. But, he adds, "we don't really know what those changes are."

I anticipate big problems with sensitivity and specificity, the above paragraph speaking on the latter. For the past several years we've been trying to make drone technology more effective in SAR. This sounds like yet another attempt.

I briefly held a correspondence with a gentleman in Australia who had just written his thesis on infrared and decomposition. He wasn't too hopeful that it would lead to improved rates of body recovery. At the time, I myself was investigating how to determine the window during which vulture activity would be greatest.

Your wife captured the bottom line, of course. There's nothing like a dog.

quote:

Originally posted by Dan:
Your wife captured the bottom line, of course. There's nothing like a dog.

As you would most certainly know.

Not a direct plant effect, but it is part of forensic science in searching for buried bodies to look for the depression in soil from the eventual displacement of body mass/fluids.
(The indicator for a freshly buried body could be disturbed soil/different color composition/mound/small hill).
The classic aged graveside can stand out in a natural setting by depression/ as one of the visual indicators.
Wrapping the body in some type of plastic/non-porous material before covering with soil can produce an entirely different long-term effect on plants and reduce "outgassing".
Just sayin'.