Vaughn Bryant

Texas A&M University | TAMU · Department of Anthropology

Pennsylvanian coal balls contain rich assemblages of plant debris and invertebrate traces, serving as our primary resource for understanding paleoecological interactions in Pennsylvanian peat swamps. Cordaitean cones in coal balls often contain arthropod coprolites. Previous studies reported the occurrence of coprolites filled with cordaitean polle...

First used over 50 years ago, forensic palynology is an important tool for law enforcement agencies. In most countries that use forensic palynology, microscopic pollen grains and spores are traditionally used in criminal investigations to link suspects to crime scenes or items. While still underutilized in many parts of the world, forensic palynolo...

For honey bees (Apis mellifera), colony maintenance and growth are highly dependent on worker foragers obtaining sufficient resources from flowering plants year round. Despite the importance of floral diversity for proper bee nutrition, urban development has drastically altered resource availability and diversity for these important pollinators. Th...

5 Debris in archaeological pollen samples can obscure pollen grains during microscopic analysis. When attempting to remove debris smaller than 10 microns from a pollen sample, screen openings can be too small, requiring the sample to be agitated in order to facilitate its passing through the screen. We recently developed a new method that uses a Br...

Melissopalynology is the study of flora and origin of honey samples using pollen that is collected and trapped in the honey.

The Skiles Mummy (SMM), a naturally mummified adult male from the late archaic period of Lower Pecos Canyonlands of South Texas, represents a unique case of care. SMM is an exceptional mummy within this region due to both the retention of a full head of hair, and having a diagnosed case of megacolon, a complication commonly associated with Chagas d...

Pollen analysis from Paisley Cave 2 (35LK3400), in Oregon has produced a record of climate change affecting the Summer Lake Sub-basin during a 7000-year period beginning at roughly 14,500 cal. yr. These sediments provide an opportunity to examine questions concerning human–environmental interaction at the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, during the Yo...

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony maintenance depends on foraging workers to obtain food resources from flowering plants year round. Because diverse floral diets have a positive impact on honey bee health, identifying the plants preferred by foragers provides valuable information to manage bee-friendly habitats. Recent studies have utilized palynol...

Anemophilous (wind-dispersed) pollen grains are emitted in large quantities by vegetation in the midlatitudes for reproduction. Pollen grains are coarse particles (5–150 μm) that can rupture when wet to form submicron subpollen particles (SPP) that may have a climatic role. Laboratory CCN experiments of six fresh pollen samples show that SPP activa...

Since the beginning of honey production, certain honey types have been favored because they taste better, are better for cooking or do not rapidly crystallize. Thus, they are preferred over others, are in high demand and are sold at higher prices. The pollen of 37 honey samples from East Texas was examined. Pollen was recovered from the honey by us...

Forensic palynology, the use of pollen and spores to assist in solving criminal and civil cases, is a highly underutilized and neglected technique. During the past century, there have been only limited attempts to use pollen and spore evidence in either criminal or civil cases for a variety of reasons, including a lack of available information abou...

Melissopalynology (the study ofpollen in honey) is an important tool in determining the geographical origin and floral sources upon which the bees foraged to produce honey. Each flower species has a unique pollen grain which, using proper techniques, may be studied to determine the geographical origin and major floral sources of the honey. For some...

In the field of archaeological palynology, charcoal and ash debris in sediments have been among the palynologists’ worst enemies. Too often important pollen information is found in the soils of sites near fire hearths where the members of ancient cultures would gather to eat and conduct social activities, and in winter sleep near the fire. For deca...

Forensic pollen studies in the United States of America and to a great degree in other regions of the world as well are currently one of the most highly under utilized and neglected techniques available to assist in solving criminal and civil cases. During the past century, there has been a very limited attempt to use pollen evidence in either crim...

One of the goals of melissopalynology is to determine the floral sources utilized by honeybees in the production of honey. Because some types of commercial honey are preferred over others, the preferred types are in high demand and are sold at much higher prices. Verification of these preferred (premium) types of honey is often difficult because ma...

The analysis of fossil pollen, spores and charcoal from 1.15 m of sediments deposited over a period of more than 1,000 years at Aronow Bog in northern Harris County, Texas is the first detailed record of the paleovegetation from southeast Texas. Prior to 1010 YBP, low amounts of arboreal pollen along with abundant grass and herb pollen suggest that...

Identification of pollen grains on insect pests is an example of the potential use of entomolpalynology (the study of pollen grains on insects). As more agricultural insect pests and their alternate host plants are identified, and as the migration routes of more insects are determined palynologically, more effective means of pest control may become...

Common problem areas in archaeological palynology include sampling, processing, counting, preservation, and interpretation. In this report, the authors present guidelines for researchers seeking pollen analyses, recommend the kinds of observations palynologists should make on their samples, and suggest ways of determining when samples should be con...

For this study we examined sixteen modern cactus samples. Based on descriptions of phytolith surface features and ratios of size variations, we believe it is possible to separate certain cacti at the level of genus based only on their phytoliths. In addition, we found it possible to identify individual species of cacti in the genus Opuntia based on...

We discuss alternate methods to control the spread and reproduction of these insects using data generated by pollen analyses. We also examine correct ways to collect, prepare, and examine nectar and pollen-feeding Noctuidae insects.

The 15 separately authored chapters deal with the pollen records and vegetational history of the regions of North America from the Wisconsinan to the Holocene. Vegetational changes during glacial retreat occur throughout the continent and the transitional period and its dating are of considerable importance. The papers are organized regionally from...

In Andrews and Adovasio's (1986) reply to Glenna Williams-Dean's (1986) review of Perishable Industries from Hinds Cave, Val Verde County, Texas, they make a number of misleading statements regarding the excavation strategies and provenience of the collection. The purpose of this article is to correct these inaccuracies and to provide a view of the...

Archaeological palynology, fairly new as a discipline, originated in studies conducted less than 50 years ago. During this early developmental stage, it suffered because of: (1) inadequate communication between botanically-oriented palynologists and field archaeologists, (2) differences in conceptual orientation between archaeologists and archaeolo...

Elements of the N and SE US flora, including Picea glauca, invaded regions of E and central Texas during the late-Quaternary period and remained part of the regional vegetation until late-glacial times. Although vast regions of west Texas were probably covered by conifer forests during the full-glacial period, those forests were not as widespread a...

Describes the major radiocarbon dated pollen sequences from this area and summarizes the general trends of the vegetational history of this region during the last 20 000 years.-from Authors

This chapter discusses the role of palynology in archaeology. A primary objective of archaeological investigation is to reconstruct and explain as fully as possible mechanisms and directions of prehistoric culture change. To accomplish this task, the archaeologist must look beyond the recovery and identification of cultural materials, such as lithi...

Forty-six prehistoric human fecal samples (coprolites) were submitted to the Texas A&M University Anthropological Research Laboratories for pollen analysis. Fourteen types of non-economic or background pollen were recognized, as were 12 types of economic or ceremonial pollen. Based on pollen percentages and ethnographic analogies, determinations of...

This report discusses the various kinds of data that are recoverable from the analysis of human coprolites and demonstrates how these techniques are applied to the specific analysis of prehistoric human coprolites recovered from site 41 VV 162 in southwest Texas. The data from these 43 coprolite samples are used to: (1) reconstruct aboriginal diet...

Dr. Eric O. Callen's notes, records, and reference materials covering nearly 20 years of research in the area of human coprolite analysis have been given to the Laboratory of Anthropology at Texas A & M University. The collection has been cataloged and is now available for use by interested researchers.

Hershop Bog, a domed-quaking peat bog, 5.4 m deep located near Ottine, Gonzales Co., Texas, has provided a pollen record dating to 12,000 BP. The pollen profile has been interpreted to indicate a definite change about 10,000 BP in the upland regional vegetation from an oak-parkland to an oak savannah, reflecting a climatic change from mesic to less...