The Human Impact Pollen Database: Development of searchable internet image database of pollen taxa

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With NSF funding, Trigg and colleagues will create a digital image database of pollen from plants associated with human activities, the Human Impacts Pollen Collection (HIPC). The database will be searchable online and present high quality images of pollen grains. Palynology (analysis of pollen grains) is critical for investigating both past and current human-environment interactions. The digitization of the HIPC complements existing databases by including exotics and invasives, as well as cultivated and ornamental plants. Given the seriousness of human impacts on the environment and the potential of palynology to understand environmental change, the need for this type of research will only increase.The collection was designed to assist in reconstructing past environments, but the online data can be used by a variety of disciplines--forensic scientists, agronomists, pollination biologists, those investigating allergies and honey production--that require information about pollen or the distribution of plants. The project also provides a K12 public school teacher with a research experience focused on the role of palynology and human-environment interactions. We hope their participation will foster an appreciation of science that they will pass on to their students. This project also engages graduate students, which will enhance their training in palynology and bioinformatics, two fields that have the potential to address critical environmental questions in the future.