http://www.botany.org/PlantTalkingPoints/cr
ime.php Nice primer on forensic botany
with refs from BSA
http://www.biologyonline.org/articles/green_revolution_botanica
l_contributions/abstract.html
The Green Revolution: Botanical
Contributions to Forensics and Drug
Enforcement
Heather Miller Coyle, Carll Ladd, Timothy Palmbach, Henry C. Lee
Connecticut State Department of Public Safety, Division of Scientific Services, Meriden, Conn,
USA
Forensic botany encompasses many sub-disciplines, including plant anatomy, plant ecology,
plant systematics, plant molecular biology, palynology, and limnology. Although the field of
forensic botany has been recognized since the mid-1900’s, the use of trace plant material as
physical evidence in criminal casework is still novel. A review of published forensic casework
that used plant evidence is presented here. Cases include the analysis of wood evidence in the
Charles Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the use of pollen in establishing the location of a sexual
assault, and pollen analysis to determine the time of year for burial in a mass grave. Additional
cases discuss the use of plant growth rates to determine the time of a body deposit in a field, the
use of diatoms to link individuals to a crime scene, and plant DNA typing to match seedpods to a
tree under which a body was discovered. New DNA methods in development for plant species
identification and individualization for forensic applications are also discussed. These DNA
methods may be useful for linking an individual to a crime scene or physical evidence to a
geographic location, or tracking marijuana distribution patterns.
Key words: botany; DNA, plant; criminology; gene probes, DNA; jurisprudence; kidnapping;
laboratories, forensic; marijuana; narcotic control; plant structures
Source: Croatian Medical Journal 42(3):340-345,2001
Molecular methods can be used to identify a plant species from minute leaf fragments and pollen
grains. Forensic botanists have used DNA technology because often botanical trace evidence
does not contain the necessary morphological or histological features that would allow one to
identify a plant at the genus or species level. This is particularly true for fragmented and
deteriorated plant material. The Bode Technology Group, Inc. (Dr Robert Bever; Springfield,
VA, USA) is developing and using molecular methods to analyze botanical trace evidence (2,3).
The previously discussed cases have relied on traditional botanical methods for species
identification (1,11-13,16,17). In the age of DNA analysis, forensic botany is using molecular
biology to aid in criminal and civil investigations. The first criminal case that used plant DNA
typing to gain legal acceptance was a homicide that occurred in 1992 in Ari-zona’s Maricopa
County (9). A woman’s body was found under a Palo Verde tree in the Arizona desert. Near the
body was a beeper, eventually traced to a suspect, Mark Bogan. A few seed pods from a Palo
Verde tree were found in the back of Bogan’s truck. Officials wanted to know if DNA analysis
could match those seed pods to the tree where the body was discovered. Dr T. Helentjaris from
the University of Arizona used a technique of Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD)
analysis to generate a band pattern from the evidence in question (9). He also surveyed a small
population of other Palo Verde trees to determine if the band patterns were unique to each
individual. His convincing testimony on plant evidence helped convict Mark Bogan of murder.
RAPD marker analysis has also been used in civil court cases to identify patent infringements. In
Italy, RAPD analysis of a patented strawberry variety “Marmolada” helped settle a lawsuit
involving the unauthorized commercialization of the plant (6).
Molecular methods can be used to identify a plant species from minute leaf fragments and pollen
grains. Forensic botanists have used DNA technology because often botanical trace evidence
does not contain the necessary morphological or histological features that would allow one to
identify a plant at the genus or species level. This is particularly true for fragmented and
deteriorated plant material. The Bode Technology Group, Inc. (Dr Robert Bever; Springfield,
VA, USA) is developing and using molecular methods to analyze botanical trace evidence (2,3).
This type of analysis is a valuable tool for potentially linking an individual to a crime scene or
physical evidence to a geographic location. One useful application for the molecular analysis of
botanical trace evidence is the identification of a geographic region where a kidnapped
individual may be located. Based on flowering times and the plant species represented in the
trace pollen evidence found with a ransom note, a geographic region may be identified and
would provide the police with an investigative lead. Plant systematists have characterized many
loci that are useful for the identification of plants, including several nuclear (18S, ITS1, ITS2)
and chloroplast (rbcL, atpB, ndhF) genes (2,3). Using some of those genes, the Bode Technology
Group, Inc. has identified a DNA extraction, cloning, and sequencing procedure to identify
plants. With these methods, they have identified numerous species of plants from physical
evidence. These include species of algae, evergreens, and many flowering herbs, shrubs, and
trees. Many plants have a limited geographic distribution or grow in specific habitats (1-3). Some
of these locations will be general areas, such as roadsides or areas of new construction. Other
locations will be more specific, like the Mojave Desert or southern Florida for plant species that
have a severely restricted geographic range. Linking botanical trace evidence to a geographic
region could provide law enforcement and investigators with valuable information.
Career
http://science.uniserve.edu.au/faces/milne/mil
ne.html Lynne Milne is a Palynologist at the Department of Geography at the
University of Western Australia. Has image. Is an interview in FAQ style
http://www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2005/s1444413.htm A case she solved, told in sort
of story form. MURDER
http://www.aqua.org.au/AQUA/Pollen/index.html Searchable data base of pollen images
http://www.crimeandclues.com/palynologyus.htm
Forensic Palynology in the United States
Vaughn M. Bryant, Jr.
Palynology Laboratory
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas 77843
Dallas C. Mildenhall
Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences
P.O. Box 30368
Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Comprehensive article
Introduction
The term "forensic palynology" is rarely used in the United States. Forensics pertains to evidence
used in courts of law. Palynology is the term first used by Hyde and Williams (1944) for the
collective study of pollen grains and spores. Years later, the discipline of palynology was
expanded to include the study of a number of other acid-resistant microorganisms as well.
Today, the science of forensic palynology traditionally focuses on legal evidence derived from
the study of pollen and spores, both fossil and modern. In its broader application, the field of
forensic palynology also includes legal information derived from the analyses of other
palynomorphs such as dinoflagellates, acritarchs, and chitinozoans. However, in most sampling
situations forensic palynologists rarely encounter these other types of acid-resistant
palynomorphs because most are marine and many are restricted only to fossil deposits
Career: Remote Sensing
http://science.uniserve.edu.au/faces/phinn/phinn.html
Stuart Phinn is in the Biophysical Remote Sensing Group at the School of Geography,
Planning and Architecture at the University of Queensland
Forensic Botany
http://www.dal.ca/~dp/webliteracy/projects/forensic/vandommelenst.html
One of the few comprehensive sites on the subject, the Forensic Botany site is a project in
the Web Literacy For the Natural Sciences class at Dalhousie University, Halifax,
Canada. It offers excellent information through literature citations with information and
definitions of the subdisciplines within the field, clearly explains botanical uses within
forensics and provides case examples illustrating the described procedures and botanical
evidence used. The "cited literature and links" section is particularly useful.
Seed Technology
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8197337/
Date palm grown from 2,000-year-old seed
Ancient variety may reveal medicinal qualities
2005
Sallon said the project is more than a curiosity. She and her colleagues hope it may hold
promise for the future, like the anti-malarial treatment artemisinin, developed out of traditional
Chinese plant treatment, and a cancer medicine made from the bark of the Pacific Yew tree.
"Dates were highly medicinal. They had an enormous amount of use in ancient times for
infections, for tumors, " she said. "We're researching medicinal plants for all we're worth, we
think that ancient medicines of the past can be the medicines of the future."
http://www.harrismoran.com/technology/newsletters/19.htm
A Couple of Ways the Seed Industry uses the ladder
OK…now for the good part. How do we use this ladder? Go back to the PCR. One of those ingredients that you put into
the DNA before you duplicate it in the PCR machine is called a “primer” (small piece of starter DNA).
DNA will only duplicate itself, if there is a primer or “starter DNA” in the mix, which is compatible with the DNA. The
difficulty is finding a “primer” that duplicates a piece of the DNA that corresponds to a plant characteristic that you’re
interested in. This process is mostly trial and error, but once you find a primer, you can start to use the technique to test
for the characteristic of interest. With the correct primer, a spot will appear at a particular point on the ladder, only if the
plant has the characteristic of interest. Several biotech companies now produce and sell different DNA primers for seed
companies to test on their varieties.
The vegetable seed industry uses this type of testing technique mostly to determine if a plant is actually a hybrid or not
(genetic purity), and sometimes to identity a particular variety. Plant breeders can use the process in a conventional
breeding program to quickly identify crosses with desired characteristics such as disease resistance. The speed and
efficiency of this technique has been improved over recent years, so labs with the latest equipment sometimes don’t have
to go through all of these steps, but the basic principles are still the same.
That’s it for now; see you next time when we talk about “Odd but True Seed Enhancement Techniques”
http://ohioline.osu.edu/%7Eseedbio/ Production of high-quality seed is the cornerstone of
American agriculture. The specialized nature of the seed industry and the unique biology of
seeds as life in suspended animation have given rise to seed biology as an important discipline.
Seeds are vital as propagating units for the tree, landscape, flower, turf, vegetable, fruit, and
agronomic crop industries. American seed companies are one of the significant agricultural
industries benefiting from advances in seed research and increased student training. To serve
these needs, The Ohio State University (OSU) Department of Horticulture and Crop Science has
established an interdisciplinary Seed Biology Program because:
Research in seed biology is the foundation of plant science study. Important basic and applied
research areas are 1) Seed production, 2) Seed quality, 3) Seed pathology, 4) Seed
physiology/biochemistry, 5) Seed genetics/molecular biology, and 6) Weed seed ecology. These
research areas serve as the focus of the OSU Seed Biology Program.
Seed biology is an interdisciplinary program which complements most aspects of plant science
study. At OSU, faculty from the Departments of Horticulture and Crop Science, Plant Pathology,
Plant Biology, and the School of Natural Resources study seeds and their performance. The
integration of these basic and applied disciplines results in breadth in student training and
comprehensive research programs.
Seed biology is an important component of international programs in agriculture. A first step in
establishing a successful agricultural program in developing countries is to provide growers
high-quality seed of superior varieties in sufficient quantity and at reasonable cost. Faculty in the
OSU Seed Biology Program have collaborated with or participated in seed development projects
in such countries as China, India, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Sudan, Argentina, Brazil, South
Africa, Colombia, Mexico, Uganda, and Poland. The OSU Seed Biology Program affords a
unique opportunity for national and international outreach, workshops, and training programs
http://ohioline.osu.edu/%7Eseedbio/consortium,%20poster.pdf Great poster for careers, outlines
the field and discusses kinds of workers needed