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Isotope Analysis in Ecology

Isotope Analysis in Ecology is a research topic within Ecology. Science Explorer counts 48k 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 focuses on the application of stable isotopes in trophic ecology, including estimating trophic position, analyzing food webs, conducting isotope analysis for ecological studies, exploring carbon and nitrogen dynamics, and investigating terrestrial-aquatic linkages. The papers cover a wide range of topics such as Bayesian mixing models, diet reconstruction, and ecosystem structure.

  • Stable Isotopes
  • Trophic Position
  • Food Web
  • Isotope Analysis
  • Ecological Studies
  • Carbon and Nitrogen
  • Ecosystem Structure
  • Bayesian Mixing Models
  • Diet Reconstruction
  • Terrestrial-Aquatic Linkages
Research works
48k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
4.8k
per year above
Top-10% rate
10.0%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
-3%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
United States
28% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
Isotope Analysis in Ecology

Which countries lead Isotope Analysis in Ecology research?

By volume, the United States and China publish the most (1.4k and 1.2k works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 United States 1.4k works
  2. 2 China 1.2k works
  3. 3 France 408 works
  4. 4 Japan 349 works
  5. 5 Germany 319 works
  6. 6 United Kingdom 293 works
  7. 7 Canada 290 works
  8. 8 Brazil 234 works
  9. 9 Russia 200 works
  10. 10 Spain 198 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: 27.8%China: 25.1%France: 8.4%Japan: 7.2%6 others listed: 31.5%28%largest
United States1,353 · 27.8%China1,220 · 25.1%France408 · 8.4%Japan349 · 7.2%6 others listed1,534 · 31.5%

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

Which institutions lead Isotope Analysis in Ecology research?

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

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 203 works
  2. 2 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 188 works
  3. 3 Russian Academy of SciencesRussia 124 works
  4. 4 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasSpain 56 works
  5. 5 Helmholtz Association of German Research CentresGermany 47 works
  6. 6 National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationUnited States 41 works
  7. 7 University of Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 37 works
  8. 8 Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesChina 33 works
  9. 9 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y TécnicasArgentina 31 works
  10. 10 Ocean University of ChinaChina 31 works

Who are the leading researchers in Isotope Analysis in Ecology?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Isotope Analysis in Ecology include Rob Knight, Peer Bork and Jun Wang.

  1. 1 Rob Knight United States 468k citations
  2. 2 Peer Bork Germany 396k citations
  3. 3 Jun Wang China 340k citations
  4. 4 Mark A. Bradford United States 268k citations
  5. 5 Philippe Ciais France 237k citations
  6. 6 Michael Snyder United States 224k citations
  7. 7 Kai You Wang China 224k 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 Isotope Analysis in Ecology?

The most cited paper in Isotope Analysis in Ecology is "Non‐parametric multivariate analyses of changes in community structure" (K.R. Clarke, 1993), with 14,354 citations. Next come "Abundances of the elements: Meteoritic and solar" (10,547) and "Approximation of terrestrial lead isotope evolution by a two-stage model" (9,132).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Non‐parametric multivariate analyses of changes in community structure K.R. Clarke · Australian Journal of Ecology Mar 1993 14,354
2 Abundances of the elements: Meteoritic and solar Edward Anders, N. Grevesse · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 1989 10,547
3 Approximation of terrestrial lead isotope evolution by a two-stage model J. S. Stacey, Jan D. Kramers · Earth and Planetary Science Letters Jun 1975 9,132
4 Isotopic Variations in Meteoric Waters Harmon Craig · Science 26 May 1961 8,926
5 A Pliocene‐Pleistocene stack of 57 globally distributed benthic δ 18 O records L. E. Lisiecki, Maureen E. Raymo · Paleoceanography Open access 17 Jan 2005 7,604
All 100 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is Isotope Analysis in Ecology research done?

The largest centres of Isotope Analysis in Ecology research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Paris (France), Moscow (Russia) and Tokyo (Japan).

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BeijingChina 354 works
  2. 2 ParisFrance 146 works
  3. 3 MoscowRussia 92 works
  4. 4 TokyoJapan 90 works
  5. 5 ShanghaiChina 74 works
  6. 6 NanjingChina 74 works
  7. 7 QingdaoChina 74 works
  8. 8 GuangzhouChina 57 works
  9. 9 OttawaCanada 57 works
  10. 10 Washington D.C.United States 54 works
See Isotope Analysis in Ecology on the map

Where is the best place to study Isotope Analysis in Ecology?

Among universities, judged by research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China University of Geosciences and Nanjing 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 15.89%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →Nanjing UniversityChina University of …University of Chines…California Institute…
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
1University of Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 71.217.8%3.7×36 +11.3%
2China University of GeosciencesChina 69.920.2%8.1×22 +7.9%
3Nanjing UniversityChina 69.627.1%2.7×15 +41.8%
4California Institute of TechnologyUnited States 69.513.3%13.8×30 +4.4%
5ETH ZurichSwitzerland 64.012.6%4.5×19 -15.9%
6Ocean University of ChinaChina 59.08.9%10.3×31 +65.2%
7Swedish University of Agricultural SciencesSweden 58.510.8%14.0×13 +23.2%
8University of Colorado BoulderUnited States 56.813.7%5.3×14 +20.6%
9University of California San DiegoUnited States 56.217.2%2.7×16 -36.9%
10University of WashingtonUnited States 55.517.3%2.5×17 -32.4%

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 Isotope Analysis in Ecology, country by country

Is Isotope Analysis in Ecology research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 3% lower than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2009.

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 Isotope Analysis in Ecology as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.030% in 2024.

still counting0.050%0.10%0.15%Isotope Analysis in Ecology0.028% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Isotope Analysis in 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%Isotope Analysis in Ecology9.9% 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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