This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Knowledge Structure and Evolution of Wetland Plant Diversity Research: Visual Exploration Based on Citespace
1
College of Geography and Ocean Sciences, Yanbian University, Hunchun 133300, China
2
Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
3
Songpan Ecological Environment Bureau, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, Songpan 623300, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Biology 2025, 14(7), 781; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14070781 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 9 May 2025
/
Revised: 21 June 2025
/
Accepted: 25 June 2025
/
Published: 27 June 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Climate Change on Terrestrial Carbon Cycling and Biodiversity Across Spatial and Temporal Scales)
Simple Summary
Wetlands are crucial ecosystems that provide clean water, flood control, and wildlife habitats, but they face serious threats from human activities and climate change. Since plants are fundamental to wetland health, understanding how scientists study plant diversity helps improve conservation efforts. This research analyzed patterns in 482 scientific publications (1986–2025) to map global progress in wetland plant studies. The key findings show that research has grown significantly, led by countries like the United States, China, and European nations working together. Early studies focused on counting plant species, but recent work explores how climate change and human impacts affect wetlands, using technologies like satellite monitoring. The results highlight urgent priorities: protecting wetlands from pollution and habitat loss, restoring damaged areas, and preparing for climate shifts like sea-level rise. These insights will help governments and conservation groups make smarter decisions to safeguard wetlands—ensuring they continue supporting clean water, wildlife, and community resilience worldwide.
Abstract
Plant diversity, as a critical indicator of wetland ecosystem health and functionality, has garnered extensive research attention. However, systematic and quantitative assessments of research advancements in wetland plant diversity remain inadequate. This study pioneers a global bibliometric analysis of wetland plant diversity research (1986–2025), designed to systematically examine its worldwide patterns, knowledge architecture, and evolutionary trends. Bibliometric analysis was performed using CiteSpace V6.2.R4 (64-bit) software on 482 publications retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Results indicate that the United States, Canada, China, and several European countries have collectively prioritized wetland plant diversity research, forming a close international collaboration network. Research themes initially centered on species composition, community structure, and diversity metrics have expanded to multiple dimensions such as ecosystem functions and services, environmental change impacts, and wetland management and restoration, forming several key research clusters. Keyword time-zone mapping reveals the trajectory of research themes from basic descriptions to applied and environmental relevance, while emergent analyses accurately identify hotspots and frontiers of current research such as ecosystem services, functional diversity, and climate change impacts. These findings contribute to comprehending the overall framework and developmental trajectories in wetland plant diversity research, and provide a reference for identifying potential research gaps and planning future research directions.
