Identification of Pollen Grains

Objectives

Aimed at capacity building in the study of pollen grains that have key taxonomic characters, a user-friendly pollen taxa identification method is being developed. In other words, this project highlights the utility of New Tools for "Learning Palynology by click of the mouse" by Taxonomists, promising young Palynologists and Paleo-environmentalists and others (in Paleo- and Neo- Tropics) trained in light microscopic techniques.

Materials and Methods

Chemically fossilised/acetolysed tree pollen taxa of 153 species belonging to 147 genera (Mangroves: 11, Western Ghats: 129 and others: 7) and 63 families (2 monocots and 61 dicots) have been included. The pollen slides are from the pollen-spores slide collection (22,000 specimens in a database furnishing taxonomic information, the richest in Asia) of the Palynology Laboratory of the French Institute of Pondicherry.

A new tool for identification and self-training in plant taxonomy (IDAO by CIRAD) has been adapted to enable Pollen identification by non-sequential choice of characters and without terminology. Vectorised drawings of a composite picture and of about 135 character states of selected tree pollen taxa have been prepared.

Information on the pollen is organized in a database accessed by the identification system. For each taxon, in addition to pollen morphological description, pollen micrographs (1280 Light Microscopic Digital and 105 Scanning Electron Microscopic) with legends, brief information on Ecology and Taxonomy and Distribution data of species and genus are furnished. An illustrated pollen morphological Terminology section and Bibliography are also included.

Partners

• CIRAD

Funding

• Institut Français de Pondichéry

Team

IFP

• Dr Vasanthy G, Palynologist
• Mr. G. Jayapalan - Research Assistant
• Mr. K. Ramesh Kumar - Technician

CIRAD

• Dr. Pierre Grard - Botanist

Outputs

Publications

Download a list of selected publications by G.Vasanthy

• Pollen grains of South Indian trees V.1.0 - A user-friendly multimedia identification software

G. Vasanthy, P. Grard. Research assistance G. Jayapalan. Collection Ecologie no.45, IFP, 2007. [CD-ROM]
Language : English.

An electronic pollen flora including digital and scanning electron micrographs and descriptions distinguishes itself by the graphic identification system of pollen without the plethora of terms; it enables many levels of users (in South India as well as in the tropics, subtropics and sub-temperate regions in India, Asia and other continents) to learn palynology by the "click of the mouse". The descriptive part furnishes palynological terms linked to the illustrated definitions and the bibliographic link for quick reference. Pollen Typification; and Taxonomical, Ecological and Distributional notes for the selected 147 genera (Mangroves: 11, Western Ghats: 129 and others: 7) are also given.

A microtaxonomic, research tool, (adapted from IDAO by CIRAD) will aid "users" interested in climate related past vegetational changes.

Keywords: pollen flora, computer-aided identification, trees, micro-characters

• Palynology and certain aspects of Histology of South Indian Vernonieæ (Asteraceæ)

G. Vasanthy, 1985 (Doctoral Thesis;); CD-ROM in preparation. US Library of Congress :Code Number I.E. 58159, and Card Number 88910069
Language: English

The South Indian Vernonieae consisting of 5 genera and 41 out 45 species have been critically studied primarily from the standpoint of palynology. In addition, certain histological aspects of florets, achenes, pappus, carpopodium, corolla vasculature, trichomes, and crystals have also been studied as to find out the correlations between palynolgical and histological data and to select characters of taxonomic significance. Attempt has been made here to correlate the pollen characters of the south Indian Vernonieae with the major systems of classification. This work is richly illustrated with photographs, Camera Lucida drawings, Light micrographs, Scanning and Transmission Electron micrographs. Pollen micrographs in 42 plates (LM: 5; SEM: 28 & TEM: 7) are accompanied by legends.

Key-words: Pollen morphology, Histology, Classification, Keys, South Indian Vernonieae (Asteraceae)