Pollen Assemblage
Definition
The full complement of pollen and spore types recovered together from a sample, characterised by species identity and relative abundance. Assemblages are more informative than single-species identifications because the combination reflects a specific habitat and season.
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....
- Forensic Palynology
- The application of pollen and spore analysis to legal investigations. A forensic palynologist identifies the species composition of pollen assemblages from crime-scene...
- Grave-Fill Inversion
- The mixing or reversal of pollen stratigraphy caused by digging and backfilling a clandestine grave. Older, deeper pollen types brought to the...
- Plant Macrofossil
- A plant fragment large enough to be seen with the naked eye or low magnification: leaves, seeds, bark pieces, root fragments. Macrofossils...
- Pollen Stratigraphy
- The analysis of pollen assemblages at different depth horizons within the grave fill to establish a seasonal or annual chronology. A pollen...
- Provenance
- The documented origin of a media file: the device that captured it, the time and location of capture, the chain of custody...
- Seasonal Marker
- A pollen type with a well-defined flowering season, used to estimate the time of year at which a person or object was...
- Secondary Transfer
- The movement of a glass fragment from a primary surface (which contacted the broken glass) to a secondary surface (which contacted the...
- Transfer Assemblage
- The pollen recovered from clothing, a vehicle, or a body that reflects the environments the item or person has been in through...
- Wood Anatomy
- The microscopic cellular structure of wood, including vessel arrangement, ray type, fibre dimensions, and parenchyma distribution. These features are species-specific and form...
Explained in these topics
- Botanical Evidence: An OverviewThe full complement of pollen and spore types recovered together from a sample, characterised by species identity and relative abundance. Assemblages are more...
- Pollen as Trace and Provenance EvidenceThe full suite of pollen and spore taxa found in a sample, expressed as counts or percentages. Each assemblage reflects the vegetation and deposition history o...