Shifting research paradigms in landscape ecology: insights from bibliometric analysis

Abstract Context With 2022 marking the 40th anniversary of International Association for Landscape Ecology (IALE), landscape ecology has undergone substantial theoretical and methodological advances. A comprehensive quantitative bibliometric analysis can help better understand how the field has evolved during the past four decades. Objectives The main objectives of this review were: (1) to examine the 40-year developmental trajectory and key research topics in landscape ecology, and (2) to synthesize the shifts in research emphasis or paradigm shifts. Methods We conducted a quantitative analysis of publications in landscape ecology from 1981 to 2024, focusing on their trends, contributors, and hot topics based on the Web of Science core collection database. Results We found that: (1) Annual publications on landscape ecology in the Web of Science Core Collection have significantly increased in the last four decades; (2) The United States leads in publication quantity, citation frequency, and research collaboration, closely working with countries like China and Canada; (3) Key journals include Landscape Ecology, Landscape and Urban Planning, and Ecology, with Landscape Ecology being the most influential; (4) There have been significant shifts in research emphasis over time, with early studies concentrating on landscape structure, pattern and scale, while more recent trends focusing increasingly on ecosystem services and sustainability. Conclusions There has been a paradigm shift from “patch–corridor–matrix” to “pattern–process–scale”, and then to “pattern–process–service–sustainability” in landscape ecology research. To advance landscape ecology toward sustainability, future research needs to focus on developing conceptual frameworks, methodologies, and case studies of the “pattern–process–service–sustainability” paradigm.