Pubblicazioni e ricerca teriologica in italia: tendenze e prospettive

Papers on mammalogy published on the main Italian journals from 1980 to 2003: trends and analysis. We analysed articles on mammalogy published from 1980 to 2003 in the main journals published in Italy: Italian Journal of Zoology (IJZ), Ethology Ecology & Evolution (EEE) and Hystrix. The number of articles increased throughout the study period as well as the average number of authors. The observed frequency of paper on Carnivora Rodentia and Arctiodactyla is higher than expected on the basis of their richness, here assumed as a index of their availability for researchers. This data could be interpreted as the effect of an increased availability of funds provided by Local Administration for game management (Arctiodactyla), the attractiveness of predators and the possibility to do research at community level with small grants (Rodentia). The hypothesis is supported by a very low research effort devoted to Cetacea and Chiroptera. We observed a decreasing trend in frequency of paper concerning “traditional” approaches, a stabilisation of paper concerning mammal zoogeography and eco-ethology and a linear increase in emerging subject such as game management, conservation biology and ecotoxicology. From a quantitative point of view, Hystrix is comparable to IJZ and EEE; however, printing punctuality must be considerably improved.