Forensic botany: time to embrace natural history collections, large scale environmental data and environmental DNA

Abstract

Forensic botany is a diverse discipline that spans many aspects of plant sciences, particularly taxonomy, field botany, anatomy, and ecology. Internationally, there is a significant opportunity to expand the application of forensic botany in criminal investigations, especially war crimes, genocide, homicide, sexual violence, serious physical assault, illegal trade in endangered species and wildlife crime. In civil proceedings, forensic botany may, for example, be called upon in trade disputes such as accidental contamination of commodities. Despite the potential, there are barriers to the wider application of forensic botany in criminal cases; there is a widespread need to improve the efficiency of botanical trace evidence identification. This could partly be addressed by embracing innovations in image recognition and by accessing the huge quantity of specimens and images housed in natural history collections worldwide. Additionally, the recent advances in DNA sequencing technologies and the expansion of environmental DNA (eDNA) and forensic ecogenomics, offers opportunities to more rapidly provide species-level identifications. The impact of taphonomic processes upon vegetation, and vice versa, remains poorly understood; improved understanding of these interactions and their ecological impacts may be invaluable in improving clandestine burial search protocols.

Recent advances in forensic biology and forensic DNA typing: INTERPOL review 2019–2022

“…Pollen analysis can assist criminal investigations [ 611 , 612 ]. The potential for and the barriers associated with the wider application of forensic botany in civil proceedings and criminal cases have been examined [ 613 , 614 ].…”

The Revolution of Animal Genomics in Forensic Sciences

“…In cases such as poaching, it can produce damning evidence by supporting to prove that a horn, tusk, bone, or skin comes from a specific individual. Other applications also include the identification of stolen animals and authentication of legally traded wildlife products [3][4][5]111]. DNA profiling consists of targeting genetic markers (microsatellites or SNPs) that are highly variable within species and can be excellent tools for highlighting genetic differences between individuals [16].…”

“…Often domestic animals represent an important forensic tool for the identification and detection of animal attacks or episodes of property destruction [2]. Further applications also include food contamination and frauds [3], botany [4,5], microbiomics [6], civil and criminal investigations on animal theft and abuse, and the individuation of a link between victims, perpetrators, and/or crime scenes [7]. However, regardless of the relevance that non-human biological samples may have within a crime scene, only a few laboratories in the world are able to carry out a valid forensic analysis of these samples.…”