Maltese pollen database : tree species composing the Mediterranean Sclerophyll habitats of the Maltese Islands

Abstract

The collection of pollen grains is an extremely valuable technique for various fields of science. This study proposes the development of a pollen database containing plant species and their associated pollen grains. This Maltese Pollen Database contains several woody taxa species found in the Maltese Islands. It also includes descriptions of various morphological features of the pollen grains namely apertures, ornamentation, dispersal unit, size, shape and pollen type. This database aims to serve as a reference for local pollen data and at the same time compliments regional and global pollen database, acts as a computer-based user-friendly identification key, and serves as a research tool which can be employed in various scientific fields. With the development of this database, local palynological data is more accessible for academic purposes. Due to its user-friendliness, it is intended to revive the interest of younger generations in palynology and pollen analysis, which has decreased throughout the years above all due to the difficulties encountered with traditional identification keys. In the end, although great effort was employed in the development of this local database, further study is required in order to populate the database with all the plant species found in the Maltese Islands. Only at this stage, one can consider the Maltese Pollen Database complete.