Center for Applied Biogeography

At the Center of Applied Biogeography, we are creating a comprehensive yet user-friendly pollen identification database that houses thousands of plant taxa found in Central and South America. The database, is used to assist users in identifying unknown pollen types by providing the user with  interactive search tools, light microscopy images of multiple orientations of the pollen grains, and videos that focus through numerous planes of view. The extra information provided by these features will facilitate the speed and accuracy of pollen identification by novices and experts in palynology. Our database currently holds over 2,000 different species, the majority of which are present in the Neotropics. A continuing phase of this project, however, will expand the pollen database to encompass other geographical regions of the world.