ABSTRACT
The primary purpose of using various palynological techniques is to undertake microscopic examination of pollen and spores. This chapter describes the techniques used for modern pollen, followed by techniques used for microfossils including fossil pollen and spores. A revolutionary method of pollen preparation namely acetolysis was developed by Gunnar Erdtman and his chemist brother in 1933. The function of acetolysis is to dissolve cellulose, hemicellulose, and chitin. A secondary effect of the procedure is the darkening of the pollen grains, which allows one to more easily examine aspects of pollen wall layers, apertures and surface patterns. The assets of acetolysis of pollen grains include bringing transparency and expansion of pollen to facilitate examination of pollen morphological characters. Erdtman’s acetolysis technique including bleaching or chlorination can be used for recovering well preserved pollen and spores from peat samples.
