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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. 30.3% 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%
5.9k
per year above
Top-10% rate
30.3%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+25%
the tick is no change

Which countries lead Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology research?

By volume, China and the United States publish the most (901 and 325 works in 2022–2025).

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China 901 works
  2. 2 United States 325 works
  3. 3 India 219 works
  4. 4 Germany 131 works
  5. 5 Russia 127 works
  6. 6 Japan 120 works
  7. 7 Spain 95 works
  8. 8 France 93 works
  9. 9 Italy 85 works
  10. 10 Brazil 84 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: 41.3%United States: 14.9%India: 10.0%Germany: 6.0%6 others listed: 27.7%41%largest
China901 · 41.3%United States325 · 14.9%India219 · 10.0%Germany131 · 6.0%6 others listed605 · 27.7%

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

Which institutions lead Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology research?

By volume in 2022–2025, Chinese Academy of Sciences publishes the most Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology research, followed by University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Banaras Hindu University.

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 52 works
  2. 2 University of Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 27 works
  3. 3 Banaras Hindu UniversityIndia 26 works
  4. 4 Jagiellonian UniversityPoland 17 works
  5. 5 Institute of Soil and Water ConservationChina 13 works
  6. 6 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 13 works
  7. 7 Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and ResourcesChina 12 works
  8. 8 Lomonosov Moscow State UniversityRussia 12 works
  9. 9 Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and GeographyChina 11 works
  10. 10 Universidade de São PauloBrazil 11 works

Where is Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology research done?

The largest centres of Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Moscow (Russia), Nanjing (China) and Wuhan (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Varanasi and Ürümqi.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 200 works
  2. 2 Moscow Russia 51 works
  3. 3 Nanjing China 46 works
  4. 4 Wuhan China 38 works
  5. 5 Paris France 37 works
  6. 6 Lanzhou China 33 works
  7. 7 Ürümqi China 31 works
  8. 8 Tokyo Japan 30 works
  9. 9 Krakow Poland 27 works
  10. 10 Shanghai China 27 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. VaranasiIN · 26.7 works9.3×
  2. ÜrümqiCN · 30.7 works9.3×
← 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, Jagiellonian University, Banaras Hindu University and China Agricultural 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%20%40%60%mean 41.2%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Jagiellonian University: 17, 53.6%Banaras Hindu University: 26, 33.8%China Agricultural University: 10, 51.8%Northwest A&F University: 11, 49.7%Qinghai University: 8, 42.5%University of Chinese Academy of Sciences: 27, 45.8%Ningxia University: 9, 38.5%Beijing Forestry University: 10, 39.2%Lanzhou University: 10, 39.6%Universidade do Porto: 8, 17.5%Jagiellonian Univers…China Agricultural U…Northwest A&F Univer…Banaras Hindu Univer…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1 Jagiellonian UniversityPoland 72.253.6%8.4×17 +141.6%
2 Banaras Hindu UniversityIndia 67.033.8%18.1×26 +129.2%
3 China Agricultural UniversityChina 60.551.8%5.9×10 +181.7%
4 Northwest A&F UniversityChina 57.849.7%8.9×11 +18.5%
5 Qinghai UniversityChina 53.842.5%15.8×8 —
6 University of Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 51.545.8%5.2×27 -11.1%
7 Ningxia UniversityChina 51.538.5%14.1×9 +42.9%
8 Beijing Forestry UniversityChina 51.139.2%11.0×10 +7.4%
9 Lanzhou UniversityChina 43.339.6%5.4×10 +94.7%
10 Universidade do PortoPortugal 26.517.5%5.0×8 +27.7%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 25% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

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

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.