Science Explorer Back to mapMap
Discussion
Topic · Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology

Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology is a research topic within Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics. Science Explorer counts 19k research works in it since 1950. 10.0% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers explores the role of biological soil crusts, particularly focusing on cyanobacteria, in influencing carbon and nitrogen cycles, providing UV protection, exhibiting desiccation tolerance, contributing to microbial diversity, stabilizing soil, impacting hydrological processes, and influencing ecosystem functioning in the context of global change.

  • Biological Soil Crusts
  • Cyanobacteria
  • UV Protection
  • Desiccation Tolerance
  • Microbial Diversity
  • Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling
  • Ecosystem Functioning
  • Soil Stability
  • Hydrological Processes
  • Global Change
Research works
19k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
2k
per year above
Top-10% rate
10.0%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+23%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
China
44% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology

Which countries lead Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology research?

By volume, China and the United States publish the most (1.2k and 430 works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 China 1.2k works
  2. 2 United States 430 works
  3. 3 India 276 works
  4. 4 Germany 167 works
  5. 5 Russia 142 works
  6. 6 Japan 139 works
  7. 7 Spain 119 works
  8. 8 France 119 works
  9. 9 Italy 111 works
  10. 10 Brazil 103 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 43.5%United States: 15.1%India: 9.7%Germany: 5.9%6 others listed: 25.8%44%largest
China1,237 · 43.5%United States430 · 15.1%India276 · 9.7%Germany167 · 5.9%6 others listed733 · 25.8%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology research?

By volume in 2022-now, Chinese Academy of Sciences publishes the most Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology research, followed by Russian Academy of Sciences and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 195 works
  2. 2 Russian Academy of SciencesRussia 75 works
  3. 3 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 47 works
  4. 4 University of Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 37 works
  5. 5 Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesChina 36 works
  6. 6 Banaras Hindu UniversityIndia 28 works
  7. 7 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasSpain 26 works
  8. 8 Jagiellonian UniversityPoland 20 works
  9. 9 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y TécnicasArgentina 17 works
  10. 10 National Academy of Sciences of UkraineUkraine 17 works

Who are the leading researchers in Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology include Heng Li, Lei Jiang and Younan Xia.

  1. 1 Heng Li United States 270k citations
  2. 2 Lei Jiang China 214k citations
  3. 3 Younan Xia United States 207k citations
  4. 4 Guangming Zeng China 204k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

What are the most cited papers in Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology?

The most cited paper in Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology is "Organic matter and water‐stable aggregates in soils" (Judith M. Tisdall, JM Oades, 1982), with 6,297 citations. Next come "The unseen majority: soil microbes as drivers of plant diversity and productivity in terrestrial ecosystems" (5,123) and "Initiation of slime mold aggregation viewed as an instability" (3,806).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Organic matter and water‐stable aggregates in soils Judith M. Tisdall, JM Oades · Journal of Soil Science Jun 1982 6,297
2 The unseen majority: soil microbes as drivers of plant diversity and productivity in terrestrial ecosystems Marcel G. A. van der Heijden, Richard D. Bardgett, Nico M. van Straalen · Ecology Letters 29 Nov 2007 5,123
3 Initiation of slime mold aggregation viewed as an instability Evelyn Fox Keller, Lee A. Segel · Journal of Theoretical Biology Mar 1970 3,806
4 Mechanotransduction Across the Cell Surface and Through the Cytoskeleton Ning Wang, James P. Butler, Donald E. Ingber · Science 21 May 1993 3,011
5 Salinity tolerance in halophytes* T. J. Flowers, Timothy D. Colmer · New Phytologist Open access 19 Jun 2008 2,798
All 100 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology research done?

The largest centres of Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Nanjing (China), Moscow (Russia) and Lanzhou (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Ürümqi and Hohhot.

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BeijingChina 275 works
  2. 2 NanjingChina 57 works
  3. 3 MoscowRussia 56 works
  4. 4 LanzhouChina 50 works
  5. 5 ParisFrance 47 works
  6. 6 WuhanChina 46 works
  7. 7 ÜrümqiChina 44 works
  8. 8 TokyoJapan 34 works
  9. 9 GuangzhouChina 34 works
  10. 10 ShanghaiChina 32 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. ÜrümqiCN · 44.3 works9.7×
  2. HohhotCN · 29.7 works8.8×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology than the world average.

See Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology on the map

Where is the best place to study Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology?

Among universities, judged by research, China Agricultural University, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Banaras Hindu University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%10%20%30%mean 13.87%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →China Agricultural U…University of Chines…Northwest A&F Univer…Banaras Hindu Univer…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the first ten of the table below, at the default weights. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

Excellenceshare of its work in the world top 10%, 2022-now and all time averaged
40%
Specialisationhow much of its work is in this field, counted up to 10× the world share
10%
Sizeits output in this field, on a log scale
30%
Growthoutput growth, counted from -20% to +20%
10%
Internationalshare of its work with a co-author abroad
10%
Each slider sets a weight; the share it gets of the score is beside it.
#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1China Agricultural UniversityChina 74.724.0%7.9×16 +50.0%
2University of Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 73.415.3%6.3×37 +75.8%
3Banaras Hindu UniversityIndia 61.410.8%10.3×28 +43.3%
4Northwest A&F UniversityChina 56.814.8%10.2×14 +36.9%
5Gansu Agricultural UniversityChina 54.021.9%16.2×8 +513.8%
6Beijing Forestry UniversityChina 51.012.8%12.6×13 +21.9%
7Hohai UniversityChina 45.912.3%5.1×11 +30.7%
8Universidade do PortoPortugal 45.413.1%4.6×11 -8.9%
9Jagiellonian UniversityPoland 43.15.8%8.5×20 -12.2%
10Lanzhou UniversityChina 42.57.9%6.2×15 +102.8%

Universities only. The score blends excellence (40%), size (30%), specialisation (10%), growth (10%), international reach (10%), 2022-now; growth compares 2018-21 with 2022-25 and counts up to +20%, since a jump from a small base is mostly noise.

Every institution in Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology, country by country

Is Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 23% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology.

still counting19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.014% in 2024.

still counting0.020%0.040%Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology0.018% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year.

still counting5%10%15%Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology10.0% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's works in it, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. A field is the world for its own topics, so there is no other line to hold it against.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

Discussion

Ask a question or share a note about Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology. Posts are plain text and can be reported.