State of the art on the knowledge

Abstract

Considering the diversity of non-flying small mammals in the Neotropical region, the impact of landscape change and the lack of knowledge about the real impacts on this megagroup, we developed a scientometric analysis over a 50-year interval. The study focuses on neotropical countries, especially Brazil, and aims to point out how these communities are structured in different environments. We searched for word combinations in the databases of the Science, Scielo and Scopus websites, resulting in 5,144 records, of which 2,941 were removed from the analysis due to their inadequacy to our topic. Of the 2,203 manuscripts that fit the objective of our study, 816 articles were carried out in Brazil, representing 46% of all publications related to the Neotropical region. The biome with the highest number of publications was the Atlantic Forest. While the knowledge gaps about the Cerrado and Amazon biomes are still evident. It is known that, in Brazil, the inequality in the concentration of investments in research is also reflected in quality scientific production. In this sense, our results highlight the need for a serious policy of investments in science and technology in the country, with partnerships between states and evaluation of the least studied biomes.