DNA Barcoding for Plant Genetics: A Role in Palynology
摘要
This chapter discusses the use of pollen in forensic science to link victims to places, people, and objects as associative evidence. The pollen grain is microscopic and valuable as miniscule biological evidence that can be classified and useful for profiling geography. The primary use in criminal casework is to show from the scientific analysis of clothing, shoes, vehicles, and carpets that an individual has been in proximity to a crime or has recently been from an area where that pollen can be found. The challenge of using this type of scientific analysis is a requirement for training in plant identification methods, which are traditionally microscopy and imaging techniques. An overview of plant reference databases useful for pollen classification and comparison to evidence is presented. Although this technique is not commonly used, it has been used in the investigation of missing persons cases the most frequently. DNA barcoding is also a useful tool to exploit the genetics of the pollen grain, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods have improved the ability to interpret samples of mixed species for the construction of pollen assemblages.