A scientometric analysis on the impacts of climate change on molluscs

Abstract

Shellfish serve as vital protein sources for humans, representing some of the primary aquacultured food resources globally. Species like molluscs are predominantly cultured in coastal regions, though there's a growing trend towards offshore mollusc farming. Both coastal and deep-sea habitats are increasingly affected by the repercussions of climate change. Elevated temperatures warm the ocean, subsequently impacting ecological dynamics and the organisms within these ecosystems. Therefore, the reliance of shellfish culture on aquatic ecosystems may affect this protein source production. This study reviews an emerging research frontier by identifying significant impacts of climate change on the shellfish, particularly molluscs. The Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database was used as a main proxy to extract the bibliometric information and CiteSpace software was used to analyze the scientometric dataset. Data was generated from WOSCC from 1970 until December 31, 2021. A total of 28,061 articles were generated, with inferential statistics from a descriptive dataset showing collaborative networks between authors, institutions and countries. Meanwhile the citation data also indicated that keywords such as oxidative stress, growth, temperature, rat, hypoxia, and calcium are among the most used keywords. When examining the prevailing trends in leading publications on this topic, ocean acidification emerges as a primary concern, as corroborated by recent research. Recognizing the significance of this issue and the observed research gap concerning the effects of climate change on molluscs, this study endeavors to bridge this void. To the best of the author's understanding, this is the inaugural paper employing scientometric analysis in the context of mollusc-related research on climate change. Data retrieved from the WOSCC database indicates a consistent trajectory of publications, highlighting the burgeoning potential of this area as an emergent and prospective field of study.