TAPHONOMY OF VERTEBRATE BONES IN A MID-LATITUDE TEMPERATE FOREST/PRAIRIE SETTING

A study monitoring bone decomposition of terrestrial vertebrates in a forest/prairie setting is being conducted in northwestern Missouri. Juvenile pig carcasses placed near a prairie/forest boundary were recovered for examination after one year of exposure. The scattering and disarticulation of the bones was measured in the field. The skeletons were cleaned and reassembled in the lab. The extent of breakage and missing bones were evaluated by comparing the skeletons to juvenile pig carcasses which had only decayed for a month. Bone decay was evaluated using the Behrensmeyer scale. Some breakage and loss of bones had occurred over the year, either through the activity of scavengers or abiotic forces such as overland flow. Bone decomposition did not advance beyond the 2a stage. This indicates faster bone weathering in a temperate setting compared to the setting in Amboseli National Forest, where the decay scale was originally developed.