Local Signal
Definition
Pollen from plants growing very close to the sampling point, contributing taxa or proportions that deviate from the regional airborne background and point to a specific microhabitat or location.
- Source
- Plants growing very close to the sampling point
- Contrast
- Deviates from the regional airborne pollen background
- Investigative use
- Points to a specific microhabitat or location
Common questions
How is local signal distinguished from the regional pollen background?+
Analysts compare the taxa and proportions found in a sample against the known regional airborne pollen rain; taxa that are overrepresented or otherwise unusual for the region indicate proximity to specific source plants.
Why is local signal useful in forensic palynology?+
It can place a person, object, or vehicle at a specific location by matching an unusual, proximity-driven pollen profile that regional background pollen alone would not produce.
Related terms
- Anemophily
- Wind pollination. Anemophilous plants produce vast quantities of lightweight, smooth or finely sculpted pollen designed for long-distance aerial transport. Grasses, birch, oak,...
- Entomophily
- Insect pollination. Entomophilous plants produce sticky, often echinate pollen in smaller quantities. Because it is not designed for aerial travel it does...
- Pollen Rain
- The continuous deposition of airborne pollen onto surfaces in a landscape. Pollen rain reflects regional vegetation and season. It forms the interpretive...
- Sporopollenin
- The highly chemically inert polymer forming the outer wall (exine) of pollen grains and spores. Resistant to acid, alkali, oxidation, and biological...
- Taphonomy
- The systematic modification of bone by environmental processes after death, operating over the burial or exposure interval. Includes weathering, soil staining, sun...