Pollen and Spores
Erin and Bailey
Definitions
Palynology- the study of plant pollen, spores ad certain microscopic plankton organisms in both living and fossil form.
Pollen- a fine powdery substance, typically yellow, consisting of microscopic grains discharged from the male part of a flower.
Spore- a tiny, typically one-celled, reproductive unit capable of giving rise to a new individual without sexual fusion.
Pollen fingerprint- the number and type of pollen grains found in a geographic area at a particular time of year.
What can they tell us?
- Whether a body was moved
- A crime's location--in a city or in the country
- The season
Gymnosperms vs. Angiosperm
Gymnosperms..
- The oldest seed plants
- Conifers are the largest group
- Seeds are contained in hard, scaly structures called cones
- The male cones pollinate the female ones
Angiosperms..
- The most recent plant group to evolve
- Produce seeds in an enclosed fruit
- Very diverse group--corn, oaks, maples, and grasses
- Pistil--female part
- Stamen--male part
Types of Pollination
Pollination: the transfer of pollen from the male part of a part to the female part of a seed plant
Self-pollination: pollen transfers from an anther to the stigma within the same flowerCross-pollination: pollen transfers between two distinct plants
Spore Producers
- Certain protists (algae)
- Plants
- Fungi
- Bacteria