i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Ipatimup - Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
UMIB - Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine, ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; ITR - Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, Porto, Portugal.
Plant Sci. 2023 Nov;336:111860. doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111860. Epub 2023 Sep 6.
The increasing use of plant evidence in forensic investigations gave rise to a powerful new discipline - Forensic Botany - that analyses micro- or macroscopic plant materials, such as the totality or fragments of an organ (i.e., leaves, stems, seeds, fruits, roots) and tissue (i.e., pollen grains, spores, fibers, cork) or its chemical composition (i. e., secondary metabolites, isotopes, DNA, starch grains). Forensic botanists frequently use microscopy, chemical analysis, and botanical expertise to identify and interpret evidence crucial to solving civil and criminal issues, collaborating in enforcing laws or regulations, and ensuring public health safeguards. The present work comprehensively examines the current state and future potential of Forensic Botany. The first section conveys the critical steps of plant evidence collection, documentation, and preservation, emphasizing the importance of these initial steps in maintaining the integrity of the items. It explores the different molecular analyses, covering the identification of plant species and varieties or cultivars, and discusses the limitations and challenges of these techniques in forensics. The subsequent section covers the diversity of Forensic Botany approaches, examining how plant evidence exposes food and pharmaceutical frauds, uncovers insufficient or erroneous labeling, traces illegal drug trafficking routes, and combats the illegal collection or trade of protected species and derivatives. National and global security issues, including the implications of biological warfare, bioterrorism, and biocrime are addressed, and a review of the contributions of plant evidence in crime scene investigations is provided, synthesizing a comprehensive overview of the diverse facets of Forensic Botany.
植物证据在法医学调查中的应用日益增多，催生了一门强大的新学科——法庭植物学，它分析微观或宏观植物材料，如器官（即叶片、茎、种子、果实、根）和组织（即花粉粒、孢子、纤维、软木）的全部或碎片，或其化学成分（即次生代谢物、同位素、DNA、淀粉粒）。法庭植物学家经常使用显微镜、化学分析和植物学专业知识来识别和解释对解决民事和刑事问题至关重要的证据，协助执行法律或法规，并确保公共卫生安全。本工作全面考察了法庭植物学的现状和未来潜力。第一节传达了植物证据收集、记录和保存的关键步骤，强调了这些初始步骤对保持物品完整性的重要性。它探讨了不同的分子分析，涵盖了植物物种和品种或栽培品种的鉴定，并讨论了这些技术在法医学中的局限性和挑战。接下来的一节涵盖了法庭植物学方法的多样性，考察了植物证据如何揭露食品和药品欺诈、揭示不足或错误的标签、追踪非法毒品贩运路线以及打击非法收集或交易受保护物种及其衍生物。讨论了包括生物战、生物恐怖主义和生物犯罪在内的国家和全球安全问题，并回顾了植物证据在犯罪现场调查中的贡献，综合概述了法庭植物学的多个方面。
