Abstract：
Researchers have observed that rainfall may re-initiate decomposition in desiccated tissue; however, no conclusive research-based evidence exists on the specific effects of rehydration on decomposition. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effects of artificial rehydration on the progression of decomposition following the advanced stage of decomposition. Twelve adult pig cadavers (8 experimental; 4 controls) were placed in the central Highveld of South Africa during cooler (April-July 2021) and warmer (August-November 2021) months. Decomposition was scored approximately biweekly to obtain the total body score, and accumulated degree days (ADD) were calculated for each pig. All pig cadavers were covered by chicken wire cages with transparent tarps to control for natural rehydration and scavenging. Once the experimental pig cadavers reached a three-visit stasis in the advanced phase of decomposition, they were artificially rehydrated, and changes in the progression of decomposition between the control and experimental groups were plotted (ADD against TBS) for observation. The rehydrated experimental pig cadavers showed re-initiation of decay and insect re-colonization, while the control cadavers mainly remained in a state of stasis with insect activity ceased altogether. Greater cadaver decomposition islands and a color change post-rehydration were also noted in some experimental cadavers. This supports the need for future research on the impact of rehydration, including associated soil moisture on decomposition rates, progression, and invertebrate colonization, which will enhance our understanding of the effects these environmental factors have on the accuracy of post-mortem interval estimation.
摘要：
研究人员观察到，降雨可能会重新引发干燥组织的分解；然而，关于复水对分解的具体影响，没有确凿的基于研究的证据。因此,本研究旨在评估人工再水化对分解进展的影响。在较凉爽（2021年4月至7月）和较温暖（2021年8月至11月）的几个月中，将12具成年猪尸体（8个实验；4个对照）放置在南非中部的Highveld。大约每两周对分解进行一次评分，以获得总体评分，并计算每头猪的累积度日(ADD)。所有的猪尸体都用透明的防水布覆盖着鸡丝笼，以控制自然的再水化和清除。一旦实验猪尸体在分解的晚期达到三访停滞，它们被人工复水，并绘制对照组和实验组之间分解过程的变化（ADD对TBS）进行观察。再水化的实验猪尸体显示腐烂和昆虫重新定殖的重新开始，而对照尸体主要处于停滞状态，昆虫活动完全停止。在一些实验尸体中还发现了更大的尸体分解岛和补液后的颜色变化。这支持了未来对补液影响的研究的需要，包括分解速率相关的土壤水分，programming,和无脊椎动物定殖，这将增强我们对这些环境因素对事后区间估计准确性的影响的理解。
