Publisher : Biodiversity Journal
Place of publication :
Publication year : 2019
Thematic : Species
Language : English
Note
Palynology is the science that studies pollen grains (size, morphology, structure, function, ornamentation, physical and chemical properties), the carriers that transport the male gametes
to the pistil (more precisely to the stigma) allowing the fertilization of the eggs. In seed plants
pollens represent an extra generation (haploid generation), the widely reduced male gametophyte. During the pollen release phase, the pollen grains separate completely from the plant
(diploid generation, or sporophyte) in an attempt to reach the female flower to allow the release of genetic material and, therefore, the fertilization of the egg. Pollens possess many varieties of shapes, sizes, designs, ornamentations, openings with variable shapes and numbers
that can be observed by optical microscopy and that have a high systematic value. Each botanical species has pollens with unique characteristics that allow their identification. Palynology
is widely used as an extremely important tool in various types of studies and investigations,
such as paleobotany, forensic investigations, melissopalynology, studies on the biodiversity
of precise geographical areas, identification of cases of introduction of non-native species
and identification of hybridization between species. For these reasons the creation of a pollen
database could be a particularly efficient and useful tool.
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Keywords : Conservation
Encoded by : Pauline Carmel Joy Eje
