Forensic Botany : Principles and Applications to Criminal Casework

Increasingly, forensic scientists use plant evidence to reconstruct crimes. The forensic aspects of this subject require an understanding of what is necessary for botanical evidence to be accepted as evidence in our judicial system. Bringing together the latest information into a single, easy-to-use resource, this book introduces the basic science underlying the emerging field of forensic botany. The contributors discuss the recognition of pertinent plant evidence at a crime scene, appropriate collection and preservation of the material, maintenance of a chain of custody, understanding scientific testing methods, validation of the new forensic technique, and more. "Coyle is a bone fide plant biologist having received a Ph.D, in plant biology from the University of New Hampshire . She does a good job of making sure to direct her botanical summaries to forensics. Her descriptions of using plants as crime scene evidence are almost reminiscent of ethnobotanical descriptions. Coyle et al. keep us interested in their descriptions by not just explaining techniques but providing a variety of high-quality, pertinent examples to show how these techniques have been used in the past. The appendix, Considerations for the Use of Forensic Botanical Evidence: An Overview , is an excellent resource . I like Coyle s book and it would make an excellent addition to a forensic biologist s library." Alfredo Gomez-Beloz, Center for World Indigenous Studies, Olympia, WA in Economic Botany 61(2) 2007

Introduction. Basic Plant Biology. Plant Cell Structure and Function. Modes of Plant Reproduction. DNA Structure and Function. Plant Diversity. The Use of Biological and Botanical Evidence in Criminal Investigations. An Overview of Historical Developments in Forensic DNA Analysis. DNA and the Identification of Plant Species from Stomach Contents. Plant Identification by DNA. Case Applications of Forensic Botany. Tracking Clonally Propagated Marijuana Using Amplified Fragment Length