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Mapping the Evolution of Microbial-Driven Nitrogen Transformation in Inland Waters: A Bibliometric Landscape Analysis
Danhua Wang1,2, Huijuan Feng1,2, Hongjie Gao1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
Microorganisms
|May 4, 2026
Summary
Microbial processes in inland waters are vital for the global nitrogen cycle. Research trends show a shift towards advanced multi-omics and complex network analysis for understanding nitrogen transformations.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Microbiology
- Biogeochemistry
- Ecology
Background:
- Inland waters play a crucial role in global nitrogen cycling.
- Microbial processes within these ecosystems significantly influence water quality and ecosystem health.
- Understanding these microbial transformations is essential for managing aquatic environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically map the knowledge structure of research on microbial nitrogen cycling in inland waters.
- To identify evolving trends and key research themes from 1990-2024.
- To provide a bibliometric overview to inform future research directions.
Main Methods:
- Bibliometric analysis of 2459 publications from the Web of Science Core Collection (1990-2024).
- Utilized CiteSpace software for data analysis.
- Employed keyword co-occurrence and cluster analyses to identify conceptual frameworks and emerging trends.
Main Results:
- A significant increase in publications post-2010, with a peak in 2024.
- China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences lead in publications.
- Core research themes include microbial communities, nitrogen transformation processes (denitrification, anammox), and aquatic habitats (lakes, rivers).
- Research focus has evolved from microbial biomass to keystone taxa, process rates to predictive manipulation, culturing to multi-omics, and linear pathways to complex networks.
Conclusions:
- The field of microbial nitrogen cycling in inland waters is progressively refining its focus.
- Research is moving towards more sophisticated methodologies and a deeper understanding of complex microbial interactions and nitrogen pathways.
- Bibliometric trends suggest a dynamic and evolving research landscape.
Keywords:
bibliometric analysisevolution of research hotspotsinland watersmicrobial-drivennitrogen transformationresearch paradigm shiftMore Related Videos
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