A method for the molecular classification of pollen for forensic purposes

Curulli, Rebecca (2022) A method for the molecular classification of pollen for forensic purposes. Masters by Research thesis, Murdoch University.

Abstract

Forensic palynology and the identification of pollen grains using DNA barcoding is an underutilised field in criminal investigations. Successful identification of pollen grains is used to establish links between an offender or body and location-­‐related crimes. The use of palynology in criminal investigations has been limited due to slow speed of identification, limited expert specialization and poor taxonomic resolution. To fill the gap, DNA barcoding overcomes these limitations by offering taxonomic resolution down to species in a faster, more accessible way. Despite this, there are technical applications that need to be addressed before DNA barcoding can be implemented as a laboratory standard for forensic palynology. This study aims to address these gaps, and highlight the need to make DNA barcoding more accessible in the future of forensic palynology.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters by Research)
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences
Supervisor(s):	Chapman, Brendan
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/66494

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