Chapter 2 - Toward a new generation of ecological modelling techniques: Review and bibliometrics

Modelling techniques have long been routinely employed in understanding complex ecological problems over the last several decades. It is therefore necessary to outline both the development history and research trends of ecological modelling. This chapter contributes to a global view of the development and research trend of modelling techniques in ecological studies. First of all, the history of five generations of ecological modelling were determined and reviewed over the last several decades. Thereafter, a bibliometric analysis method was performed to systematically reveal the research trends of ecological modelling applications during the period 1991–2013, from the following perspectives: publication output and language, subject categories, country distribution and international cooperation networks, and author keyword analysis. Last, based on the quantitative results, some frequently used and fast-developing models and algorithms are briefly reviewed to provide a primer for ecological model users and contributors.

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