Forensic Botany

Question 1

trade of protected species

Answer 1

illegal wildlife trade & the persistence of ‘plant blindness’

Question 2

forensic biology - damage

Answer 2

can look at timelines based on the damage of plants

Question 3

source of wood

Answer 3

associative evidence - locations, people, objects

Question 4

forensic example of damaged botany

Answer 4

grass under car isn’t dead even though it was said to be there for 46 days

Question 5

forensic examples of source of wood

Answer 5

• looks at wood chips in head to see if they match bat used
• fake antiques
• took marks in wood

Question 6

plant secondary metabolites as source of drugs & poisons

Answer 6

• help protect the plant from disease
• structural function
• toxic surface to prevent leaves from pests
• unintentional/ intentional

Question 7

Ricin

Answer 7

• poisonous glycoprotein
• inactivates ribosomes in human cells

Question 8

determining the source of drugs derived from plants

Answer 8

• region supplying
• DNA analysis
• ID insects/pollen
• stabel isotopes/trace alkaloids

Question 9

forensic palynology

Answer 9

study of pollen & spores to inform legal investigations

Question 10

when forensic palynology is used

Answer 10

• seasonal
• timing

Question 11

where forensic palynology is used

Answer 11

• geographic region
• habitat

Question 12

pollen

Answer 12

carries male gametes of flowering & cone bearing plants

Question 13

spores

Answer 13

-the asexual reproductive bodies of ferns, mosses, fungi
- think sperm

Question 14

special forensic aspects of pollen

Answer 14

• can get DNA from pollen
• highly resistant to decay

Question 15

what do plants produce?

Answer 15

vast quantities of microscopic pollen & spores which they disperse with the help of animals, wind, and water

Question 16

what is natures fingerprint of plants?

Answer 16

pollen

Question 17

forensic pollen studies

Answer 17

• rarely attempted in the US
• attempts in cold cases where the potential pollen evidence has been compromised by time & contamination

Question 18

current problem with forensic pollen studies

Answer 18

• there are very few people who are trained to do forensic pollen studies
• no jobs for people who are trained
• very few training programs

Question 19

The OJ Simpson Case

Answer 19

• forensic pollen evidence would have been very useful but was not employed
• evidence suggested that the murderer hid among flowering bushes in front of the Simpson home waiting
• if so, a pollen ‘fingerprint’ would have been left on the suspects clothing and would have linked the kille r