Gaps in tropical science from unrepresentative distribution of sampling and citation across natural terrestrial environments.

ABSTRACT: Effective environmental policies for the tropics depend on accurate, representative scientific data. However, there is strong evidence from particular disciplines and regions that existing research is patchily distributed. Here, we show that poor representation of sampling and citation in some biomes and across key environmental gradients from all disciplines for the entire tropics may lead to flawed scientific paradigms and inappropriate policy prescriptions. We map sampling locations and citations from 2 738 published studies in natural terrestrial tropical environments across all disciplines to identify gaps in field sampling effort and research attention. Five ecoregions - all in moist broadleaf forests - generate 22% of the total citations but cover only 3% of the tropical land area.

SUBMITTER: Metcalfe DB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12727867 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature