Basics
Define forensic botany
The application of plant science to criminal investigations and legal matters
Forensic botany is used in:
Outdoor crime scenes
What is botanical evidence?
List 4 examples of forensic botany evidence
pollen, seeds, leaves, wood
How could plants link a suspect to a crime scene?
Plant fragments collected on suspect's body or clothing
Explain transfer evidence as it pertains to Forensic Botany
Botanical evidence getting collected on vehicles, clothing, skin, hair
Common tool used to examine tiny details on evidence
Microscope
How do investigators collect microscopic evidence?
Special tape used to lift evidence off surfaces
Define dendrochology
Branch of forensic botany that studies the annual growth increments of tree rings
Finding plant evidence at a crime scene that doesn't match the region suggests a body was:
Moved
Why do we use forensic botany?
Plant cell walls are resistant to decay so we can identify them after a long time
Study of pollen and spore evidence
Forensic palynology
Explain Locard's exchange principle
Any contact between two objects will result in an exchange of matter between them
What is the name of the victim from the documentary we watched?
Denise Johnson
Compounds that make cell walls strong
cellulose, sporopollenin, pectin