Forensic Palynology
Definition
The application of pollen and spore analysis to legal investigations. A forensic palynologist identifies the species composition of pollen assemblages from crime-scene samples and comparison samples, then evaluates the significance of matches or differences.
- Evidence types examined
- Hair, clothing, footwear, vehicle interiors, soil
- Primary application
- Geographic source linkage and scene association
- Key evidence material
- Pollen grains and fungal spores
Common questions
How can pollen help solve a crime?+
Pollen grains stick to hair, clothing, footwear, and the inside of vehicles. When an analyst identifies the specific pollen types on a person or object, they can link that person or object to a geographic location and even narrow down the season the contact happened.
What types of evidence are examined for pollen?+
Forensic palynologists analyze pollen and fungal spores found in soil, clothing, and other physical evidence collected at a scene. The pollen profile from a suspect's clothing or vehicle can be compared to known pollen from the crime scene to establish association.
How is palynology different from standard pollen allergies?+
While allergies involve the same pollen grains, forensic palynology focuses on using the precise identification of pollen types as evidence. The geographic and seasonal distribution of specific pollen species becomes investigative data that connects people, objects, or locations.
Related terms
- Diatom
- A microscopic alga with a silica cell wall (frustule) bearing species-specific surface ornamentation. Diatoms are abundant in freshwater, marine, and brackish environments....
- Acetolysis
- Erdtman's 1934 extraction method. The sample is treated with a 9:1 mixture of acetic anhydride and concentrated sulphuric acid, which dissolves cellulose...
- Aperture
- An opening in the pollen wall through which the pollen tube emerges. Classified by shape into pores (porate), furrows (colpate) and combined...
- Bromobenzene
- C6H5Br, density 1.50 g/cm3; the lighter component of the forensic density-gradient liquid mixture.
- Bromoform
- CHBr3, density 2.89 g/cm3; the denser component of the forensic density-gradient liquid mixture, used to create the bottom of the density range.
- D-Spacing
- The perpendicular distance between adjacent parallel planes of atoms in a crystal lattice, measured in angstroms or nanometres. Each set of planes...
- Density-Gradient Column
- Glass column filled with stepwise layers of liquids of decreasing density (commonly bromoform 2.89 g/cm3 and bromobenzene 1.50 g/cm3 mixed in known...
- Diatom Frustule
- The siliceous cell wall of a diatom, composed of biogenic opal; species-specific in shape and ornament, and resistant to degradation in soil...
- Diatom Test for Drowning
- Acid digestion of bone marrow (femur or sternum) followed by microscopic examination for diatoms. Diatoms in marrow indicate that water was aspirated...
- Frustule
- The silica cell wall of a diatom, composed of two overlapping valves (epitheca and hypotheca). Frustules are taxonomically distinctive, chemically resistant to...
- Heavy-Mineral Fraction
- The sub-fraction of soil mineral grains with density above 2.85 g/cm3, including pyroxene, hornblende, garnet, zircon, rutile, and tourmaline; particularly diagnostic of...
- Indicator Species (Pollen)
- Pollen taxa with restricted geographic ranges or specific habitat requirements, contrasted with background species that occur everywhere; indicator species provide site-specific geographic...
Explained in these topics
- Botanical Evidence: An OverviewThe application of pollen and spore analysis to legal investigations. A forensic palynologist identifies the species composition of pollen assemblages from cri...
- Pollens and Diatoms in Forensic InvestigationThe application of pollen and spore identification to forensic investigation. Pollen grains attach to hair, clothing, footwear and vehicle interiors and let an...
- Soil Examination: Density Gradient, Mineralogy and PalynologyThe analysis of pollen grains and fungal spores in soil, clothing, or other evidence to provide geographic source linkage or to associate a person or object wi...