A bibliometric analysis of international research on grasslands from 2007 to 2021

Grassland resources play an important role in terrestrial ecosystems, and grassland ecosystems are of great significance in maintaining ecological balance and regional economic development. Research in grasslands has received international attention in recent years. This study analyzed relevant publications on grassland ecosystems from the years 2007－2021, based on the SCI-Expanded (SCIE) and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) databases in the Web of Science Core Collection, in order to establish a comprehensive understanding of trends in grassland research and development. The results showed that the annual number of publications on grasslands has steadily increased and that there is a trend of interdisciplinary research occurring. The United States ranks first in the number of publications and China ranks second, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences publishing significantly more papers than other institutions. In the 15-year interval under review, focus has been given mainly to eight areas, namely grassland ecosystem biodiversity, grassland agroecology, grassland ecosystem response to climate change, soil research, grassland monitoring and management, ecosystem competition/adaptation and succession processes, biogeochemical cycles, and species invasion. The application of machine learning and other emerging technologies in the field of grassland monitoring, soil health, grassland degradation, and desertification have received considerable attention in recent years.