Bio Laboratory

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Our bio laboratory (or pollen laboratory) is used for the analysis of fossil and recent pollen grains in order to reconstruct past vegetation and climatic conditions. It is primarily used in palynology, archaeobotany, and paleoecology. The laboratory equipment is designed to isolate organic material from sediment and soil samples, identify pollen grains, and determine their concentration.

1. Equipment of our pollen laboratory

A pollen laboratory is equipped with specialized devices for sample preparation, chemical treatment, and microscopic analysis:

• Microscopes: High-performance microscopes (light microscopes, polarization microscopes, and, if applicable, electron microscopes) for the identification and quantification of pollen grains.
• Chemical laboratory equipment:
  
  • Fume hoods and safety installations for handling aggressive chemicals (e.g. hydrofluoric acid, acetic anhydride).
  • Centrifuges for separating sediments and pollen extracts.
  • Ultrasonic baths for dispersing particles.
  • Sieves and filtration systems for removing coarse components.
• Pollen reference collection: A comparative collection of pollen from recent plants used for taxonomic identification.
• Data processing:
  
  • Computers with specialized software for image analysis and statistical evaluation (e.g. TILIA, R packages for palynology).

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2. Workflow and Methods

Work in a pollen laboratory comprises several key steps:

1. Sampling and preparation

• Samples originate from archaeological layers, lakes, peat bogs, or soils.
• Standardized sampling using core drilling or targeted sample collection.

2. Chemical processing
Removal of unwanted components:

• Dissolution of organic material (e.g. using KOH to remove humic substances).
• Removal of carbonates (treatment with HCl).
• Removal of silica (treatment with HF to dissolve mineral components).
• Acetolysis to preserve pollen grains and improve their visibility under the microscope.

3. Microscopic analysis

• Identification of pollen types based on morphological features (apertures, ornamentation, size).
• Quantification of pollen frequencies to create pollen diagrams.

4. Data analysis and interpretation

• Reconstruction of vegetation history and derivation of paleoecological conditions.
• Use of statistical methods for pattern recognition and cluster analyses.

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3. Interpretive Value of Pollen Analysis

Pollen analysis enables:

• Reconstruction of vegetation changes over periods of thousands of years.
• Detection of human interventions (e.g. agriculture, deforestation).
• Climate reconstructions based on the dominance of specific pollen types.
• Comparison with archaeological findings to investigate historical land use.

Conclusion

A pollen laboratory is a highly specialized research environment that, through precise chemical and microscopic techniques, enables a detailed reconstruction of past environmental conditions. The combination of laboratory work and computer-based analysis is essential for interdisciplinary research in archaeology and environmental history.