Peertechz Journal of Forensic Science and Technology Citation: Passarelli LM (2016) Forensic Palynology in Argentina. An alternative treatment for tape method is proposed. Peertechz J Forensic Sci Technol 1: 014-016. 014 Abstract Forensic Palynology contributes to the evidence of the crime site and sometimes the moment of the fact by the study of pollen and spores and other palynomorphs present in the scene. Pollen morphology is sometimes exclusive for a plant species and some of them grow in speciic areas besides plants produce pollen at certain times of the year. Some of the methods used to obtain the samples are here described, and they depend on the material to be analyzed. An alternative treatment for the tape method is proposed. Little is known about palynomorphs in forensic scope in Argentina, although some cases have been satisfactorily addressed. This paper describes three cases in which pollen was important evidence in this country. so fossil elements can be thousands or millions of years in sediments. hey are also relevant in this case because pollen grains and spores from diferent species can be very distinctive and, on or in the surface of soil, reveal the vegetation on the site. If it is on clothes, mud, or other elements and the sample contains pollen from plants with limited distributions it will be a good clue in determining the scene of the crime. Palynomorphs features Pollen may be released as a single grain, or en masse, as a compound. hey can vary quite a lot in size (from about 10 to nearly 100 micrometers) and in shape. (Ellipsoidal, spherical, or with sacs) symmetry, presence and number of apertures, shape, size and disposition of the sculpturing on the outer wall surface in agreement with the plant that originated it. However, in some cases like Pinaceae or Poaceae (grass family) you cannot say with accuracy because the grain morphology is common to several genus and species. It is therefore very valuable uncommon presence of pollen types, for example, Lamiaceae, (Salvia guaranitica A. St.Hil ex Benth, Figure 1D) species belonging to this family had similar grains but they grow in limited spaces. Pollen and spores morphology is very accurate and may determinate exactly the plant which originated it (Figure 1). Dispersion mode Ferns, Gymnosperms or Angiosperms produce large amounts of spores or pollen. he dispersion can be carried out by abiotic vectors (wind, water) or biotic vectors (birds, insects or rarely mammals), it is also inluenced by climatic factors like wind. Some aquatic plants release pollen into the water (Ruppiaceae [9], therefore, produce large quantities because the possibility of reaching the female gametes is low. Other plants release pollen and the wind carries it, also in these plants the production is very high (Pinus sp). he animal-pollinated plants have reduced production of pollen grains according to the speciicity of the vector [10]. Plants also bloom at certain times of the year. For example, if plum pollen is obtained we know that in the Introduction Palynology is the study of pollen and spores and some structures related to them like acritarchs, dinolagellates cysts and chitinozoans. he results obtained may contribute to diferent scientiic disciplines like biostratigraphy, taxonomy and evolutionary studies in plants, allergy studies, melissopalynology and archaeological palynology, a description was made by Bryan [1]. Forensic palynology is the study of pollen and other palynomorphs for evidence at a crime scene [2-4], linking the accused to the victim and the place. he questions “Where?” and “When?” can be answered because the pollen morphology is sometimes exclusive for a plant species and some of them grow in speciic areas besides plants produce pollen at certain times of the year. Several papers describe the importance of Palynology as a forensic discipline [3-5]. Forensic palynology was introduced in criminal cases in Argentina in July 1984, in a non-resolved crime. At that moment limitations to trace evidence analysis and the technological capabilities was limited. Actually new technologies have been applied to resolve some problems in the trace evidence, and are currently trying to prove the efectiveness of the methods to achieve introducing this discipline in the legal ield [6-8]. However, little is known about palynomorphs in forensic scope in Argentina, although some cases have been satisfactorily addressed. his paper describes three cases in which pollen was important evidence. It proposes an alternative treatment for tape method, too. Results and Discussion Palynology importance Some plants produce spores or pollen grains for reproduction, pollen grains are responsible to transfer the male gametes from the anther to the stigma of the female loral organ for fertilization takes place. A pollen grain is between 10 and 200 µm (most common in 30- 60 µm) and fungal, mosses and ferns spores size have similar values. he importance is that the pollen grains and spores have an outer wall of sporopollenin, very resistant even with treatment with acids, Short Communication Forensic Palynology in Argentina. An alternative treatment for tape method is proposed Lilian M Passarelli* Laboratorio de Estudios de Anatomía Vegetal Evolutiva y Sistemática (LEAVES), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina Dates: Received: 10 December, 2015; Accepted: 23 January, 2016; Published: 23 January, 2016 *Corresponding author: Lilian M. Passarelli, LEAVES, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tel: +54-221-42-49049; E-mail: Keywords: Pollen; Forensic science; Palynology; Crime scene www.peertechz.com