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Topic · Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Fern and Epiphyte Biology

Fern and Epiphyte Biology is a research topic within Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics. Science Explorer counts 13k research works in it since 1950. 9.8% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers explores the evolution, diversity, and ecological significance of vascular epiphytes and ferns, with a focus on phylogeny, adaptive radiation, biogeography, and ecological strategies. It delves into the relationships between epiphytes and their host trees, the impact of climate change on canopy communities, and the physiological ecology of vascular epiphytes. The cluster also addresses topics such as polyploidy, gametophyte ecology, and the morphological evolution of ferns.

  • Ferns
  • Epiphytes
  • Phylogeny
  • Adaptive Radiation
  • Bromeliaceae
  • Biogeography
  • Canopy Communities
  • Gametophyte Ecology
  • Polyploidy
  • Morphological Evolution
Research works
13k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
1.3k
per year above
Top-10% rate
9.8%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+11%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
Brazil
27% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
Fern and Epiphyte Biology

Which countries lead Fern and Epiphyte Biology research?

By volume, Brazil and the United States publish the most (496 and 263 works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Brazil 496 works
  2. 2 United States 263 works
  3. 3 China 252 works
  4. 4 India 211 works
  5. 5 Mexico 141 works
  6. 6 Indonesia 100 works
  7. 7 Philippines 97 works
  8. 8 France 94 works
  9. 9 Germany 80 works
  10. 10 Colombia 79 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.

Brazil: 27.4%United States: 14.5%China: 13.9%India: 11.6%6 others listed: 32.6%27%largest
Brazil496 · 27.4%United States263 · 14.5%China252 · 13.9%India211 · 11.6%6 others listed591 · 32.6%

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

Which institutions lead Fern and Epiphyte Biology research?

By volume in 2022-now, Chinese Academy of Sciences publishes the most Fern and Epiphyte Biology research, followed by Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 69 works
  2. 2 Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of TechnologyPhilippines 58 works
  3. 3 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 54 works
  4. 4 Botanical Survey of IndiaIndia 51 works
  5. 5 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoMexico 35 works
  6. 6 Royal Botanic Gardens, KewUnited Kingdom 28 works
  7. 7 Naturalis Biodiversity CenterNetherlands 26 works
  8. 8 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y TécnicasArgentina 26 works
  9. 9 Instituto de EcologíaMexico 25 works
  10. 10 Universidad de IbaguéColombia 23 works

Who are the leading researchers in Fern and Epiphyte Biology?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Fern and Epiphyte Biology include Peter B. Reich, Edward Hartley Sargent and Pamela S. Soltis.

  1. 1 Peter B. Reich United States 189k citations
  2. 2 Edward Hartley Sargent Canada 185k citations
  3. 3 Pamela S. Soltis United States 165k 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 Fern and Epiphyte Biology?

The most cited paper in Fern and Epiphyte Biology is "Development and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci in endangered fern Adiantum reniforme var. sinense" (Ming Kang, Pan Li, Xiaohong Yao et al., 2006), with 2,606 citations. Next come "On-chip natural assembly of silicon photonic bandgap crystals" (1,640) and "A classification for extant ferns" (1,617).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Development and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci in endangered fern Adiantum reniforme var. sinense Ming Kang, Pan Li, Xiaohong Yao et al. · Conservation Genetics 17 Feb 2006 2,606
2 On-chip natural assembly of silicon photonic bandgap crystals Yurii A. Vlasov, Xiang-Zheng Bo, James C. Sturm et al. · Nature Nov 2001 1,640
3 A classification for extant ferns Alan Р. Smith, Kathleen M. Pryer, Eric Schuettpelz et al. · Taxon Aug 2006 1,617
4 The cerrado vegetation of Brazil George Eiten · The Botanical Review Apr 1972 1,413
5 Starch Gel Electrophoresis of Ferns: A Compilation of Grinding Buffers, Gel and Electrode Buffers, and Staining Schedules Pamela S. Soltis, Christopher H. Haufler, David C. Darrow et al. · American Fern Journal Open access 1983 1,412
All 100 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is Fern and Epiphyte Biology research done?

The largest centres of Fern and Epiphyte Biology research in 2022-now are São Paulo (Brazil), Iligan City (Philippines), Beijing (China) and Kolkata (India). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Iligan City and Ibagué.

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 São PauloBrazil 59 works
  2. 2 Iligan CityPhilippines 58 works
  3. 3 BeijingChina 58 works
  4. 4 KolkataIndia 56 works
  5. 5 ParisFrance 55 works
  6. 6 Rio de JaneiroBrazil 53 works
  7. 7 Mexico CityMexico 50 works
  8. 8 LondonUnited Kingdom 35 works
  9. 9 XalapaMexico 33 works
  10. 10 LeidenNetherlands 26 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. Iligan CityPH · 58.3 works191×
  2. IbaguéCO · 23.5 works85×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Fern and Epiphyte Biology than the world average.

See Fern and Epiphyte Biology on the map

Where is the best place to study Fern and Epiphyte Biology?

Among universities, judged by research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology and Yunnan 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%mean 11.26%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →University of Chines…Yunnan UniversityUniversidad Nacional…Mindanao State Unive…
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
1Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoMexico 60.46.3%15.1×35 +176.8%
2Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of TechnologyPhilippines 57.74.1%615.7×58 -
3Yunnan UniversityChina 50.913.4%11.7×10 +131.8%
4University of Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 46.621.6%2.2×8 -10.6%
5University of FloridaUnited States 45.622.3%4.1×10 -16.0%
6Universidade de São PauloBrazil 42.014.5%3.3×15 -13.4%
7Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)Brazil 40.217.4%6.6×11 -26.3%
8Universidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroBrazil 40.06.3%10.0×18 -10.7%
9University of MonsBelgium 40.05.2%29.2×12 -
10Universidad Nacional de ColombiaColombia 38.41.5%20.4×16 +85.3%

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 Fern and Epiphyte Biology, country by country

Is Fern and Epiphyte Biology research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 11% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Fern and Epiphyte Biology.

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 Fern and Epiphyte Biology as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.0082% in 2024.

still counting0.010%0.020%0.030%Fern and Epiphyte Biology0.013% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Fern and Epiphyte Biology 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%Fern and Epiphyte Biology8.6% 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.

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