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Topic · Ecology

Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies

Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies is a research topic within Ecology. Science Explorer counts 15k research works in it since 1950. 27.6% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers revolves around the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) and related techniques such as metabarcoding and next-generation sequencing for monitoring and assessing biodiversity in various ecosystems, with a focus on aquatic environments. The papers cover topics such as species detection, biodiversity assessment, conservation genetics, and the application of eDNA in ecological and environmental studies.

  • Environmental DNA
  • Metabarcoding
  • Biodiversity Monitoring
  • Next-Generation Sequencing
  • Conservation Genetics
  • Species Detection
  • DNA Barcoding
  • Aquatic Ecosystems
  • Ecological Assessment
  • Molecular Ecology
Research works
15k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
4k
per year above
Top-10% rate
27.6%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+72%
the tick is no change

Which countries lead Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies research?

By volume, the United States and China publish the most (692 and 673 works in 2022–2025).

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States 692 works
  2. 2 China 673 works
  3. 3 Japan 208 works
  4. 4 France 198 works
  5. 5 Germany 187 works
  6. 6 Australia 176 works
  7. 7 Canada 164 works
  8. 8 United Kingdom 160 works
  9. 9 India 121 works
  10. 10 Spain 109 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.

United States: 25.7%China: 25.0%Japan: 7.7%France: 7.4%6 others listed: 34.1%26%largest
United States692 · 25.7%China673 · 25.0%Japan208 · 7.7%France198 · 7.4%6 others listed917 · 34.1%

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

Which institutions lead Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies research?

By volume in 2022–2025, Chinese Academy of Sciences publishes the most Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies research, followed by Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Guelph.

Who are the leading researchers in Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies include Peer Bork.

  1. 1 Peer Bork Germany 4.7k citations

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

Where is Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies research done?

The largest centres of Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Paris (France), Nanjing (China) and Washington D.C. (United States).

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 171 works
  2. 2 Paris France 72 works
  3. 3 Nanjing China 49 works
  4. 4 Washington D.C. United States 48 works
  5. 5 Tokyo Japan 45 works
  6. 6 Shanghai China 41 works
  7. 7 Guangzhou China 38 works
  8. 8 London United Kingdom 32 works
  9. 9 Qingdao China 29 works
  10. 10 Ottawa Canada 29 works
See Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies on the map

Where is the best place to study Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies?

Among universities, judged by research, Curtin University, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and University of Guelph 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%25%50%mean 41.93%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Curtin University: 9, 46.4%Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences: 9, 46.9%University of Guelph: 18, 31.5%University of Copenhagen: 15, 43.0%ETH Zurich: 8, 57.9%Aarhus University: 9, 50.8%Shanghai Ocean University: 18, 18.3%University of Duisburg-Essen: 8, 39.1%University of Oslo: 9, 45.6%University of Chinese Academy of Sciences: 18, 39.8%Swedish University o…Curtin UniversityUniversity of Copenh…University of Guelph
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 Curtin UniversityAustralia 64.146.4%7.9×9 +252.7%
2 Swedish University of Agricultural SciencesSweden 62.546.9%14.6×9 +55.2%
3 University of GuelphCanada 59.331.5%16.7×18 +68.3%
4 University of CopenhagenDenmark 51.343.0%6.0×15 +10.0%
5 ETH ZurichSwitzerland 44.857.9%3.3×8 +14.8%
6 Aarhus UniversityDenmark 43.750.8%3.3×9 +87.1%
7 Shanghai Ocean UniversityChina 41.218.3%20.9×18 -44.2%
8 University of Duisburg-EssenGermany 40.939.1%6.8×8
9 University of OsloNorway 40.645.6%5.0×9 -9.8%
10 University of Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 39.339.8%2.8×18 +63.2%

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 Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 72% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies.

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.