Description of Palynology

What is Palynology?

The study of micro-organic materials such as spores, pollen, dinoflagellates, and microfossils is called palynology. In other words, palynology aims at studying microscopic particles produced by plants such as pollen and spores, as well as fresh water and marine algal cysts (a closed sac that develops abnormally in somebody structure). Cyst formation takes place in unfavourable conditions. All the material used in palynology is referred to as palynomorphs....

Palynological Features used in Plant Systematics

Palynological characters have been used in solving several taxonomic problems, including the repositioning of deveral disputed taxa, and interpretation of problems relating to the origin and evolution of different groups. Palynology is used in phylogenetic analysis. It can be utilised in plant identification of extant plants and fossil plants. In fossil plants we study about paleopalynology/paleobotany and about the past plant communities, climate, biogeography, migration. In pollen characteristics of systematic values we will discuss pollen aggregation. Microsporogenesis equals four microspores which match were into four pollen greens. In majority of angiosperms the pollen grains separate prior to release such a pollen grains is known as monoders in rare cases pollen grains are released as fused in the form of fears....

Significance of Palynology

Palynology is significant in a variety of applications like in mining and oil exploration, in medicine, including a survey of atmospheric pollen and spore generation and dissemination (aerobiology), in human food, in studies of human allergies, the archaeological excavation, in conservation of biodiversity, in honey and in pollen industry, in detailed investigation of animal diets, In taxonomical studies, In forensic science....

Objective of palynology

The objective of palynology is to enumerate and identify important palynological features of angiosperms and to relate these features to plant systematics. We demonstrate taxonomic evidence in palynology. Palynology is utilised in plant identification like in extant plants, fossil plants....

Description of Palynology

The greek term palynology has been derived from paluno (to scatter) and logos( to study). Here the history of pollen grain is studied. The term palynology was first introduced by Hyde and Williams in 1944. Different types of pollen grains are found in different species of plants. There must always be a difference in the pollen grains of one plant to another according to their structure, shape,size, chemical composition and components, pollen viability & compatibility and wall formation. By pollens, we can also determine the family with which they belong too. So, they are always different from each other, and this specific character is very helpful in taxonomical research and plant identification....

Scope of Palynology

Palynological research can be either basic or applied. Pollen morphology in relation to taxonomy is the basic aspect, and the applied aspects are geopalynology (fossil pollen grains), iotropalynology (medical aspects such as hay fever, criminology), melittopalynology (study of pollen in honey), and aeropalynology (pollen discovered in air)....

Application of Palynology

Palynology is applicable in the study of tertiary rocks of the coastal plain, as well as in estimating the age of biological rocks. Spores and pollen grains from plants preserved as fossils in sedimentary rocks can be employed in the same general way as better known and more extensively used invertebrate fossil groups to solve stratigraphic problems of correlation and date determination....

Role of Palynology in Taxonomy

Application in plant systematics Pollen morphology is the expression of parts of the genome and is helpful in taxonomic studies. Characteristics of pollens such as shape, size, aperture, ornamentation, and stratification have proved useful in distinguishing pollens of different varieties....

FAQs on Palynology

1. What is the Term used for the Study of Pollen in Melissopalynology?...