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Environmental microbiology

Decomposer communities are universal in death

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Decomposer microbiomes are universal across cadavers regardless of environmental conditions, and they use complex cross-feeding and interkingdom interactions to break down organic matter.

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Fig. 1: Interkingdom interactions associated with cadaver decomposition.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Science Foundation awards 1845417 (to M.S.S.) and 2054716 (to L.L. and M.S.S.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil & Water Systems, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA

    Michael S. Strickland & Laurel Lynch

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  1. Michael S. Strickland
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  2. Laurel Lynch
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Correspondence to Michael S. Strickland.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Strickland, M.S., Lynch, L. Decomposer communities are universal in death. Nat Microbiol 9, 585–586 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01576-8

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