4. Conclusions
In this study, the SCI-E and SSCI databases of the WoSCC were used as
sample data and CiteSpace software was applied to visualize information
about seed dispersal research. Based on the bibliometric analysis
method, we systematically analysed the basic characteristics, main
research institutions and research hotspots of literature in the field
of seed dispersal. Furthermore, we used the AI and the AAI to assess the
research efficiency and academic impact of major countries. The
following conclusions were drawn from the results:
(1) The number of publications on seed dispersal research globally
increased significantly over time. The number of citations per
publication peaked in 2000. The 10 most productive journals accounted
for 27.7% of all publications in the field of seed dispersal, and
Ecology had the highest impact in this field. Researchers in the field
of seed dispersal are mostly from the USA and European countries, and a
collaboration network centred on the USA, Spain, Germany, Australia,
Britain and France gradually formed.
(2) On the basis of the AI and the AAI, we determined that different
countries/territories have different research abilities in the field of
seed dispersal. The research effort and academic impact of the USA were
higher than the global average level in most years. Although the
research effort and academic impact of Brazil, China and Japan were
lower than the global average level in most years, their academic impact
has continuously increased in recent years. We also found that seed
dispersal research was performed by five author groups with outstanding
research records.
(3) The burst analysis showed that wind dispersal is a hotspot in the
field of seed dispersal research, and new research hotspots or research
frontiers have mainly concentrated on seed conservation and the spatial
patterns of seed dispersal.
(4) Currently, many studies are limited to only the number of seeds and
distance of seed dispersal and cannot systematically study every process
of the seed renewal stage (seed production, seed dispersal, seed
germination, seedling settlement, seedling establishment, etc.). Because
the monitoring of seed germination and seedling growth in the later
stages of seed dispersal is time-consuming and labour-intensive,
relevant research is still lacking. In addition, too much attention has
been paid to the negative impacts of human interference on the spreading
of seeds by animals, and the beneficial aspects of human interference in
the process of seed dispersal have been ignored. Finally, the
development of mathematical models related to seed dispersal has created
an opportunity to study the processes of seed dispersal and its
potential consequences.
Although this research provides scientific guidance for future research
directions in related fields, it still has some limitations. First, we
strictly limited the scope of publications in the literature search to
avoid obtaining search results that are inconsistent with the research
goals. Second, although we identified main research hotspots and future
research directions, deeper analysis of research hotspots, such as the
methods applied to identify them and theoretical background, is still
needed. Finally, CiteSpace software itself has certain limitations,
although much research has been conducted using this software. For
example, in the process of this research, we found that the software
cannot distinguish the first author of a paper from the corresponding
author, and the distinction between some areas is not very accurate.
Nevertheless, the conclusions of this study are based on objective data,
which are accurate and reliable. In short, the results of this study
were not affected by anecdotal evidence.