Pollen rain
Definition
The continuous deposition of airborne pollen onto surfaces in a landscape. Pollen rain reflects regional vegetation and season. It forms the interpretive baseline against which forensic samples are assessed.
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...
- Local signal
- Pollen from plants growing very close to the sampling point, contributing taxa or proportions that deviate from the regional airborne background and...
- 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...
Explained in
- Pollen Dispersal, Deposition, and PersistenceThe continuous deposition of airborne pollen onto surfaces in a landscape. Pollen rain reflects regional vegetation and season. It forms the interpretive basel...