Palynology

Palynology is the scientific name of the pollen analysis. Etymologically it is the " doctrine of disseminated dust ", here the pollen, scientific " pollen ".

The palynology examines both recent and fossil palynomorphs (pollen, spores and other microfossils, including dinoflagellates ).

Generally

The Palynology is an interdisciplinary science, since they both in the earth sciences (including geology ) as well as in biology, especially botany ( paleobotany and Archaeobotany ) acts. In recent years, she also gains in the area of ​​climate research is becoming increasingly important. Stratigraphic palynology or Pollenstratigraphie is studied from the Precambrian to the Holocene part of the field of paleontology, especially of micropaleontology, the palynomorphs.

Due to their global distribution and high production, palynomorphs can be used in geology / paleontology both as index fossils and thus a temporal classification (see also: stratigraphy ) of sediments and rocks allow, on the other hand - because of the dependence ( of vegetation) of certain location factors - but also serve as Faziesfossilien and thus allow an ecological interpretation of the depositional environment ( Faziesinterpretation ).

History

The Swedish geologist Lennart by mail shall be with its 1916 first published charts as the father of this method. Only 3 years later, the method of Carl Albert Weber, the doyen of German Moor research, applied in Federseeried. He described in 1920 in an unpublished manuscript of his results. It was his finding of a Neolithic heat and drought, with rapid siltation of the lake that allowed colonization of the basin only of particular importance. End of the 20s Karl Bertsch began then in 1931 published paleobotanical, mainly pollenanlytische and moorstratigraphische investigation of Federseemuseum basin. Although the results were only roughly, but they provided a first indication of the settlement and their timing over 4000 years. In 1935, researchers refined as Franz Firbas and I. Müller method in Federseemuseum area further.

The term Palynology was introduced in 1944 by HA Hyde and DA Williams, after correspondence with the Swedish geologist Antevs, in Pollen Analysis Circular ( one of the first journals on pollen analysis, edited by Paul Sears in North America). Hyde and Williams chose the word Palynology based on the Greek words palynein, sprinkle ' and pale, dust ' (similar to the Latin word pollen).

In archeology,

By analyzing the occurring in sediments and peat pollen, the history of climate and vegetation of the site reconstruct, especially in the finds of bog bodies. Is an area a complete timeline created by the sediments, archaeological remains can be dated relatively precisely identified in layers.

Add the honey Customer ( melissopalynology )

When honey is zugrückgegriffen to pollen analysis to check the declaration and the origin of the samples. This science is called melissopalynology.

In the field of criminology

In criminology, a pollen analysis shed light on under certain circumstances, at which place a piece of evidence, a victim or a perpetrator has been the time of the offense, or where the victim or an item has been placed between the material time and time of finding. Furthermore, it is possible to a limited extent, to determine in respect of past acts by the pollen analysis time more accurately.

For example, can the dating of documents, based sunken into the ink - and thus preserved - pollen, are reviewed at least at their seasonal plausibility.

In climate research and in the paleoecology

In climate research, a pollen analysis, similar to the analysis of an ice core, show evidence of climatic changes at the examination site. As a result, climatic changes are recorded and described. Since the beginning of the 20th century quantitative pollen studies are carried out and presented in the form of pollen diagrams. The Y- axis indicates the age of the sediments; at the x - axis represents the relative frequency of pollen grains is represented. A problem for the validity of the pollen diagrams is that the different dispersal capabilities of the individual plant species lead to an under -or over- presentation of the associated pollen. If the pollen grains of a kind only slightly represented, for example, this may be due to the rare or remote presence of this species, but also in the dissemination mechanisms of pollen. So wind pollination, an over - and animal pollination require an under-representation of pollen abundance in the sediments. Through comparisons with today's plant communities and their locations, as well as the knowledge of the location factors of individual species, the Tertiary and Quaternary paleoclimate reconstructed. In addition, it could be shown with the help of the pollen diagrams that dominated in Central Europe after the last ice age first birches and pines, oaks and beeches later. Pollen zones were to own one stratigraphic classification system.

Due to the large resistance of the palynomorphs over time, pressure and heat, they can even after a very long time and despite dynamic and thermal stress (see also: diagenesis and tectonics ) - for example, in the well logs of the Ruhr region, including their coal seams - to be determined. The provision allows, in conjunction with sedimentological and ( carbon- ) petrographic factors ( sedimentology and petrography ), a reconstruction of paleoecology, for example, the Moore of the Carboniferous. The necessary preparation of the cuttings is done in many tedious steps. First, the samples are crushed gently. Then, the recovered material, depending on the nature, in acids and / or alkalis is recognized or cooked. In between, done repeatedly sieving and also, in part, a repeated neutralization is required. Finally, the feed material is placed in a centrifuge in order to ultimately determine the palynomorphs in a report prepared specimen under the microscope and count can.