Palynology glossary
Exine, colpus, tetrad, acetolysis, acritarch… every core term of palynology, defined and searchable.
The working vocabulary of palynology, in plain English. Type to filter 31 terms.
Acetolysis
A laboratory preparation (developed by Erdtman) that removes cellular contents and leaves the sporopollenin exine, clarifying grain sculpture.
Acritarch
An organic-walled microfossil of uncertain biological affinity, important in Precambrian and Palaeozoic biostratigraphy.
Actuopalynology
The study of modern pollen and spores, including building the reference collections used to identify fossils.
Aeropalynology
The study of airborne pollen and spores, underpinning pollen counts and allergy forecasting.
Aperture
A thinned area or opening in the pollen wall through which the pollen tube emerges; apertures include pores (round) and colpi (elongate).
Arboreal pollen (AP)
Pollen from trees; contrasted with non-arboreal pollen (NAP) from grasses and herbs to gauge forest vs open landscapes.
Chitinozoan
A flask-shaped, organic-walled marine microfossil of the Palaeozoic, used in dating and correlation.
Colpus
An elongate furrow-like aperture in the pollen wall; grains are described by the number and arrangement of colpi (e.g. tricolpate).
Dinoflagellate cyst
The organic-walled resting stage of a dinoflagellate, a key marine palynomorph for dating and environmental reconstruction.
Echinate
Bearing spines on the exine surface — a sculpture seen, for example, in many daisy-family pollens.
Exine
The tough, sporopollenin-rich outer wall of a pollen grain or spore, carrying the sculpture used for identification.
Forensic palynology
The use of pollen and spore assemblages as trace evidence in criminal and civil investigations.
Intine
The inner, cellulose-rich wall of a pollen grain, beneath the exine; it is not preserved in fossils.
LO analysis
A focusing technique ('lux–obscuritas') used under the light microscope to interpret exine structure by changing focus.
Melissopalynology
The study of pollen in honey, used to determine floral and geographic origin and detect adulteration.
Paleopalynology
The study of fossil palynomorphs to reconstruct ancient environments and date rock strata.
Palynology
The study of pollen, spores and other organic-walled microfossils and microparticles (palynomorphs), and their applications.
Palynomorph
Any microscopic, acid-resistant organic particle studied in palynology — pollen, spores, dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs, chitinozoans and more.
Pollen diagram
A chart plotting the abundance of pollen types against depth or age in a core, used to reconstruct past vegetation and climate.
Pollen grain
The male gametophyte of a seed plant, dispersed to fertilise ovules; its durable wall makes it a key palynomorph.
Pollen rain
The pollen deposited on a surface over a given period, the raw signal that pollen analysis interprets.
Pollen sum
The total count of grains against which percentages are calculated in a pollen diagram; its definition affects the results.
Pore
A rounded aperture in the pollen wall; many grasses have a single pore (monoporate).
Reference collection
A curated set of identified modern pollen and spore slides against which unknown grains are compared.
Reticulate
A net-like surface sculpture on the exine, one of many patterns (others include echinate, striate, psilate) used in identification.
Saccate / bisaccate
Bearing air sacs (sacci); bisaccate (two-sac) pollen is typical of conifers such as pines and is very buoyant.
Spore
The dispersal or reproductive unit of ferns, mosses, fungi and some algae; like pollen, spores have resistant walls.
Sporopollenin
The extremely decay-resistant biopolymer forming the outer wall (exine) of pollen and spores — the reason they fossilise.
Sulcus
A single elongate aperture, typically on one face of the grain, characteristic of many monocots and early seed plants.
Taphonomy
The study of how organisms decay and are preserved; in palynology, how pollen is transported, deposited and altered.
Tetrad
A group of four pollen grains or spores formed together; some plants shed pollen permanently as tetrads.