Types of Forensic Botanists
What do dendrochronologists study?
Tree rings
List three methods of dispersal for pollen and/or spores.
Wind, water, animals
A patch of land with different plants then the surrounding area. A dead patch of land. Disturbed dirt with tool marks.
Besides being trace evidence, plant evidence found at a crime scene can also be considered ___________________ evidence.
Circumstantial (Biological)
Forensic limnologists study what type of plants?
Aquatic
All the different types of pollen that can be found at a location during a specific time of year is called a _______________________.
Pollen Fingerprint
What information can you find on a Habitat Sampling Form?
Information about the 10 most common plant species that are found in the area around a crime scene.
A group of plant species that dominates an area is called a(n) ______________________
Assemblage
What branch of forensic botany studies pollen and spores?
Forensic Palynology
What is different about the reproductive system between plants that use pollen and plants that use spores?
Pollen is the male reproductive structure of a plant that must reach the female reproductive structure. A spore is an asexual reproductive structure that can reproduce by itself.
What would cause one tree ring to be wider then all the other tree rings in the same tree?
The process of identifying plant species by analyzing short segments of their DNA is called ________________.
DNA Barcoding
For a drowning victim, what do they inhale that a forensic limnologist can look at to determine where that victim drowned?
The types of algae and diatoms
Gymnosperms use _________________ for their primary reproductive structures. Angiosperms use _________________ for their primary reproductive structures.
Gymnosperms = Cones (pinecones)
Angiosperms = Flowers
What can a forensic botanist potentially determine by looking at the gastric contents of a victim?
What did U.S. intelligence agencies hire forensic botanists for after the 9/11 attack?
They hired forensic botanists to determine if pollen could be used to find where terrorists are making bombs and other items related to terrorism.
What type of forensic botanist would they call to analyze the wood of a homemade axe used at a crime scene?
A dendrochronologist.
They do several acid washes of the pollen
What is the best type of microscope to use when studying pollen that provides enough details without being too time consuming?
A Phase Contrast Microscope
How can you use pollen and spore evidence to determine if a victim at a crime scene has been moved?
There will be pollen or spores found on the body that are3 not native to that area.