Scientific research on animal biodiversity is systematically biased towards vertebrates and temperate regions.

ABSTRACT: Over the last 25 years, research on biodiversity has expanded dramatically, fuelled by increasing threats to the natural world. However, the number of published studies is heavily weighted towards certain taxa, perhaps influencing conservation awareness of and funding for less-popular groups. Few studies have systematically quantified these biases, although information on this topic is important for informing future research and conservation priorities. We investigated: i) which animal taxa are being studied; ii) if any taxonomic biases are the same in temperate and tropical regions; iii) whether the taxon studied is named in the title of papers on biodiversity, perhaps reflecting a perception of what biodiversity is; iv) the geographical distribution of biodiversity research, compared wit

SUBMITTER: Titley MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5730207 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature