World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Theoretical Population Biology
H-index 12

Theoretical Population Biology

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Ecology and Evolution 452 27 29 8

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 70
Documents by Best Scientists*: 88
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 3
SCIMAGO H-index: 99
SCIMAGO SJR: 0.563
Impact Factor: 1.3

Overview

Top Research Topics at Theoretical Population Biology?

The main research concerns discussed in the journal are Ecology, Statistics, Genetics, Evolutionary biology and Statistical physics. Ecology research presented in the journal encompasses a variety of subjects, including Biological dispersal and Extinction. In particular, the Biological dispersal works presented emphasize discussions on Metapopulation.

The Statistics works featured in it incorporate elements from Population size, Econometrics and Coalescent theory. The study on Genetics presented is investigated in conjunction with research in Population genetics. While Evolutionary biology is the focus of it, it also provided insights into the studies of Natural selection and Selection (genetic algorithm).

The majority of Predation studies presented zero in on Predator. Studies on Locus (genetics) discussed in it link to the field of Linkage disequilibrium.

  • Ecology (25.84%)
  • Statistics (22.69%)
  • Genetics (18.43%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Optimal foraging, the marginal value theorem. (4066 citations)
  • On the number of segregating sites in genetical models without recombination. (3460 citations)
  • Predation, apparent competition and the structure of prey communities. (1933 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Theoretical Population Biology:

The journal papers are mainly concerned with subjects like Ecology, Statistics, Genetics, Evolutionary biology and Statistical physics. The journal papers focus on Ecology but sometimes tackle the closely related topic of Biological dispersal which is concerned with Spatial heterogeneity. The journal articles focus on Statistics but the discussions also offer insight into other areas such as Population size, Econometrics and Population model.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Ecology
  • Statistics
  • Gene

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The journal mostly deals with topics like Selection (genetic algorithm), Coalescent theory, Statistical physics, Evolutionary biology and Population size. While work presented in the journal provided substantial information on Selection (genetic algorithm), it also covered topics in Mathematical economics, Population genetics, Mutation (genetic algorithm) and Inclusive fitness. The field of Genetics is the anchor for the Mutation (genetic algorithm) studies presented in it.

The studies in Statistical physics featured incorporate elements of Kolmogorov equations, Mathematical model, Mutation rate and Stationary distribution. Some problems in Evolutionary biology that were presented in it overlapped with concepts under Natural selection and Fixation (population genetics). Issues in Population size were discussed, taking into consideration concepts from other disciplines like Stochastic process, Sample size determination, Limit (mathematics) and Coalescent process.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • What the reproductive number R0 can and cannot tell us about COVID-19 dynamics. (5 citations)
  • The interplay of dormancy and transfer in bacterial populations: Invasion, fixation and coexistence regimes. (3 citations)
  • Switching environments, synchronous sex, and the evolution of mating types. (3 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in Theoretical Population Biology (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Marcus W. Feldman (92 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 3 less than at the previous edition,
  • Samuel Karlin (43 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Noah A. Rosenberg (31 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • Sabin Lessard (29 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • Thomas Nagylaki (26 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Theoretical Population Biology (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Stanford University (217 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 4 less than at the previous edition,
  • University of California, Davis (72 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • University of Oxford (63 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • University of California, Berkeley (60 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Harvard University (57 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 6.90% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 18.52% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 7.41% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 14.81% of all publications and 59.26% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Top Publications

  • Dispersal asymmetry in a two-patch system with source-sink populations.

    Hong Wu;Yuanshi Wang;Yufeng Li;Donald L. DeAngelis

    (2020)
    29 Citations
  • The evolution of coexistence theory.

    Priyanga Amarasekare

    (2020)
    21 Citations
  • Invasion implies substitution in ecological communities with class-structured populations.

    Tadeas Priklopil;Laurent Lehmann

    (2020)
    21 Citations
  • MacArthur (1970) and mechanistic coexistence theory

    Peter Chesson

    (2020)
    18 Citations
  • The best of both worlds: Combining population genetic and quantitative genetic models

    (2022)
    8 Citations
  • Metacommunities, fitness and gradual evolution.

    Tadeas Priklopil;Laurent Lehmann

    (2021)
    8 Citations
  • A time-since-infection model for populations with two pathogens.

    (2022)
    8 Citations
  • Fixation and effective size in a haploid-diploid population with asexual reproduction.

    Kazuhiro Bessho;Sarah P. Otto

    (2021)
    8 Citations
  • Using YY supermales to destabilize invasive fish populations

    Joydeb Bhattacharyya;Daniel L. Roelke;Jay R. Walton;Soumitro Banerjee

    (2020)
    8 Citations
  • Structure of the G-matrix in relation to phenotypic contributions to fitness.

    Steinar Engen;Bernt-Erik Sæther

    (2021)
    7 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For students interested in Ecology and Evolution, branching into related online degrees can open diverse career opportunities. Many programs now offer flexible options ideal for working professionals or those seeking to switch fields. For example, exploring online health administration degree programs can complement ecological knowledge with skills in managing healthcare services, especially in environmental health sectors.

In addition to healthcare, nursing remains a prominent career pathway connected to biology and environmental sciences. Prospective students might find it helpful to research the easiest nursing programs to get into, which can simplify admission processes while providing quality education. Some schools even offer nursing schools that do not require entrance exam, reducing barriers for applicants.

For advanced practice, online DNP programs without clinicals present an attractive alternative for those aiming to combine environmental insight with healthcare leadership roles. These programs focus on practical knowledge without the need for clinical hours, making them more accessible to diverse learners.

Overall, investigating such flexible and accessible degree options can help Ecology and Evolution students expand their expertise into impactful career pathways.

Learn more about these pathways through online health administration degree, easiest nursing programs to get into, nursing schools that do not require entrance exam, and online dnp programs without clinicals.

Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal

Recently Published Articles