Editing Forensic palynology (section)

== Advantages ==
Pollen and similar spores are generally less than 50 [[microns]] across, resulting in their easy and unnoticeable transportation.

[[Pollen|Pollen grains]] have a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, structures, and numbers [[identification key]]s exist as a reference. Large-scale collections of pollen specimens that reside in museums and university [[Herbarium|herbaria]] also serve as a resource for forensic palynologists to identify and classify the samples they collect. There are also many online databases that consist of thousands of records and identification methods for palynomorphs that are accessible worldwide.<ref name=":82"/>

A sample of pollen from a crime scene can help to identify a specific plant species that may have had contact with a victim, or point to evidence that does not ecologically belong in the area. A pollen assemblage is a sample of pollen with a variety of plant species represented. Identifying those species and their relative frequency can point to a specific area or time of year. This could aid in the determination of whether the scene where the pollen was found was the primary scene or secondary scene. Pollen is made in great numbers, by a large variety of plants, and it is designed to be [[Biological dispersal|dispersed]] (either via wind, insect, or another method) throughout the immediate environment. Pollen can also be found in soil, clothing, hair, drugs, stomach contents, ropes, and rock which are places where it would be difficult for the suspect to remove because of pollen's adhesion properties.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> In some cases, where the pollen of a plant is absent, fungi and fungal spores may be able to detect a plant's presence at the site.<ref name=":5" /> There have been cases where the presence of rarely reported fungi and fungal spores have helped identify information in forensic cases.<ref name=":5" /> Pollen has been found inside counterfeit pharmaceuticals that have been transported across the world, the presence of the pollen can be used to trace these illegal drugs back to their manufacturing region and even factory.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mildenhall |first=D.C. |date=2017-04-03 |title=The role of forensic palynology in sourcing the origin of falsified antimalarial pharmaceuticals |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01916122.2016.1156587 |journal=Palynology |language=en |volume=41 |issue=2 |pages=203–206 |doi=10.1080/01916122.2016.1156587 |bibcode=2017Paly...41..203M |issn=0191-6122}}</ref>