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Matthias C. Rillig

Matthias C. Rillig

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Ecology and Evolution
Germany
2026
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Plant Science and Agronomy
Germany
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Discipline name D-Index World Ranking Current World Ranking National Ranking Current National Ranking Publications Citations
Plant Science and Agronomy 137 33 31 6 6 477 81049
Ecology and Evolution 144 40 40 4 4 530 85662

Matthias C. Rillig publications per year

The chart shows the history of publications by Matthias C. Rillig between 1995 and 2026, highlighting the no. of papers published in each year and offering an overview of the publication velocity of this scholar. Matthias C. Rillig published across 32 years, from 1995 to 2026, averaging 24 papers a year. Output peaked at 94 publications in 2025. 97 of the 767 publications appeared in the last two years.

No. of publications
20 40 60 80
Bar chart. Horizontal axis: year, 1995 to 2026. Vertical axis: number of publications, 0 to 94. Peak 94 publications in 2025. 1995: 2 publications 1996: 1 publication 1997: 3 publications 1998: 4 publications 1999: 5 publications 2000: 1 publication 2001: 3 publications 2002: 5 publications 2003: 10 publications 2004: 7 publications 2005: 11 publications 2006: 9 publications 2007: 7 publications 2008: 10 publications 2009: 11 publications 2010: 9 publications 2011: 19 publications 2012: 20 publications 2013: 19 publications 2014: 28 publications 2015: 28 publications 2016: 30 publications 2017: 28 publications 2018: 26 publications 2019: 41 publications 2020: 53 publications 2021: 68 publications 2022: 80 publications 2023: 57 publications 2024: 75 publications 2025: 94 publications 2026: 3 publications
1995 2026

767 publications in total across all disciplines

View publications per year as a table
Matthias C. Rillig: publications per year, 1995 to 2026
Year Publications
1995 2
1996 1
1997 3
1998 4
1999 5
2000 1
2001 3
2002 5
2003 10
2004 7
2005 11
2006 9
2007 7
2008 10
2009 11
2010 9
2011 19
2012 20
2013 19
2014 28
2015 28
2016 30
2017 28
2018 26
2019 41
2020 53
2021 68
2022 80
2023 57
2024 75
2025 94
2026 3
Total 767
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Matthias C. Rillig publication distribution in Plant Science and Agronomy in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Plant Science and Agronomy in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Matthias C. Rillig sits on this spectrum.

No. of scientists
50 100 150 200 250
Bar chart with 88 bars. Horizontal axis: publications, 36–40 to 467+. Vertical axis: number of scientists, 0 to 255. Most scientists, 255, have 111–115 publications. The last bar groups every scientist with 467 publications or more. The highlighted bar, 467+ publications, is where this scientist sits. 36–40 publications: 2 scientists 41–45 publications: 7 scientists 46–50 publications: 40 scientists 51–55 publications: 58 scientists 56–60 publications: 60 scientists 61–65 publications: 107 scientists 66–70 publications: 130 scientists 71–75 publications: 153 scientists 76–80 publications: 191 scientists 81–85 publications: 199 scientists 86–90 publications: 206 scientists 91–95 publications: 218 scientists 96–100 publications: 226 scientists 101–105 publications: 227 scientists 106–110 publications: 247 scientists 111–115 publications: 255 scientists 116–120 publications: 253 scientists 121–125 publications: 233 scientists 126–130 publications: 219 scientists 131–135 publications: 201 scientists 136–140 publications: 194 scientists 141–145 publications: 176 scientists 146–150 publications: 157 scientists 151–155 publications: 147 scientists 156–160 publications: 151 scientists 161–165 publications: 159 scientists 166–170 publications: 137 scientists 171–175 publications: 128 scientists 176–180 publications: 126 scientists 181–185 publications: 98 scientists 186–190 publications: 114 scientists 191–195 publications: 100 scientists 196–200 publications: 90 scientists 201–205 publications: 71 scientists 206–210 publications: 98 scientists 211–215 publications: 70 scientists 216–220 publications: 86 scientists 221–225 publications: 61 scientists 226–230 publications: 58 scientists 231–235 publications: 53 scientists 236–240 publications: 64 scientists 241–245 publications: 39 scientists 246–250 publications: 46 scientists 251–255 publications: 51 scientists 256–260 publications: 36 scientists 261–265 publications: 44 scientists 266–270 publications: 35 scientists 271–275 publications: 30 scientists 276–280 publications: 33 scientists 281–285 publications: 35 scientists 286–290 publications: 36 scientists 291–295 publications: 26 scientists 296–300 publications: 26 scientists 301–305 publications: 31 scientists 306–310 publications: 30 scientists 311–315 publications: 21 scientists 316–320 publications: 29 scientists 321–325 publications: 14 scientists 326–330 publications: 15 scientists 331–335 publications: 15 scientists 336–340 publications: 17 scientists 341–345 publications: 15 scientists 346–350 publications: 12 scientists 351–355 publications: 17 scientists 356–360 publications: 18 scientists 361–365 publications: 12 scientists 366–370 publications: 11 scientists 371–375 publications: 6 scientists 376–380 publications: 6 scientists 381–385 publications: 11 scientists 386–390 publications: 9 scientists 391–395 publications: 10 scientists 396–400 publications: 8 scientists 401–405 publications: 4 scientists 406–410 publications: 9 scientists 411–415 publications: 11 scientists 416–420 publications: 4 scientists 421–425 publications: 7 scientists 426–430 publications: 4 scientists 431–435 publications: 3 scientists 436–440 publications: 5 scientists 441–445 publications: 8 scientists 446–450 publications: 6 scientists 451–455 publications: 7 scientists 456–460 publications: 5 scientists 461–465 publications: 6 scientists 466 publications: 2 scientists 467+ publications: 99 scientists
36–40 publications 467+

This scientist: 477 publications — 99th percentile

99% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 467 publications or more.

View publications distribution as a table
Number of Plant Science and Agronomy scientists by publication count, Research.com 2026 ranking edition. Based on 6,494 ranked scientists.
Publications Scientists This scientist
36–40 2
41–45 7
46–50 40
51–55 58
56–60 60
61–65 107
66–70 130
71–75 153
76–80 191
81–85 199
86–90 206
91–95 218
96–100 226
101–105 227
106–110 247
111–115 255
116–120 253
121–125 233
126–130 219
131–135 201
136–140 194
141–145 176
146–150 157
151–155 147
156–160 151
161–165 159
166–170 137
171–175 128
176–180 126
181–185 98
186–190 114
191–195 100
196–200 90
201–205 71
206–210 98
211–215 70
216–220 86
221–225 61
226–230 58
231–235 53
236–240 64
241–245 39
246–250 46
251–255 51
256–260 36
261–265 44
266–270 35
271–275 30
276–280 33
281–285 35
286–290 36
291–295 26
296–300 26
301–305 31
306–310 30
311–315 21
316–320 29
321–325 14
326–330 15
331–335 15
336–340 17
341–345 15
346–350 12
351–355 17
356–360 18
361–365 12
366–370 11
371–375 6
376–380 6
381–385 11
386–390 9
391–395 10
396–400 8
401–405 4
406–410 9
411–415 11
416–420 4
421–425 7
426–430 4
431–435 3
436–440 5
441–445 8
446–450 6
451–455 7
456–460 5
461–465 6
466 2
467+ 99 477
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Matthias C. Rillig D-index placement in Plant Science and Agronomy in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Plant Science and Agronomy scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Matthias C. Rillig sits on this spectrum.

No. of scientists
50 100 150 200 250
Bar chart with 80 bars. Horizontal axis: D-Index, 30 to 109+. Vertical axis: number of scientists, 0 to 288. Most scientists, 288, have 34 D-Index. The last bar groups every scientist with 109 D-Index or more. The highlighted bar, 109+ D-Index, is where this scientist sits. 30 D-Index: 200 scientists 31 D-Index: 236 scientists 32 D-Index: 253 scientists 33 D-Index: 283 scientists 34 D-Index: 288 scientists 35 D-Index: 240 scientists 36 D-Index: 246 scientists 37 D-Index: 243 scientists 38 D-Index: 247 scientists 39 D-Index: 229 scientists 40 D-Index: 232 scientists 41 D-Index: 230 scientists 42 D-Index: 228 scientists 43 D-Index: 219 scientists 44 D-Index: 193 scientists 45 D-Index: 164 scientists 46 D-Index: 158 scientists 47 D-Index: 143 scientists 48 D-Index: 131 scientists 49 D-Index: 127 scientists 50 D-Index: 122 scientists 51 D-Index: 122 scientists 52 D-Index: 110 scientists 53 D-Index: 102 scientists 54 D-Index: 98 scientists 55 D-Index: 79 scientists 56 D-Index: 85 scientists 57 D-Index: 88 scientists 58 D-Index: 91 scientists 59 D-Index: 62 scientists 60 D-Index: 61 scientists 61 D-Index: 59 scientists 62 D-Index: 54 scientists 63 D-Index: 61 scientists 64 D-Index: 59 scientists 65 D-Index: 58 scientists 66 D-Index: 41 scientists 67 D-Index: 49 scientists 68 D-Index: 39 scientists 69 D-Index: 32 scientists 70 D-Index: 40 scientists 71 D-Index: 47 scientists 72 D-Index: 38 scientists 73 D-Index: 28 scientists 74 D-Index: 29 scientists 75 D-Index: 28 scientists 76 D-Index: 22 scientists 77 D-Index: 21 scientists 78 D-Index: 25 scientists 79 D-Index: 26 scientists 80 D-Index: 19 scientists 81 D-Index: 16 scientists 82 D-Index: 12 scientists 83 D-Index: 16 scientists 84 D-Index: 14 scientists 85 D-Index: 11 scientists 86 D-Index: 17 scientists 87 D-Index: 13 scientists 88 D-Index: 10 scientists 89 D-Index: 12 scientists 90 D-Index: 18 scientists 91 D-Index: 16 scientists 92 D-Index: 16 scientists 93 D-Index: 17 scientists 94 D-Index: 12 scientists 95 D-Index: 8 scientists 96 D-Index: 9 scientists 97 D-Index: 9 scientists 98 D-Index: 11 scientists 99 D-Index: 12 scientists 100 D-Index: 5 scientists 101 D-Index: 8 scientists 102 D-Index: 4 scientists 103 D-Index: 11 scientists 104 D-Index: 5 scientists 105 D-Index: 9 scientists 106 D-Index: 7 scientists 107 D-Index: 4 scientists 108 D-Index: 8 scientists 109+ D-Index: 99 scientists
30 D-Index 109+

This scientist: 137 D-Index — 100th percentile

100% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 109 D-Index or more.

View D-Index distribution as a table
Number of Plant Science and Agronomy scientists by D-index, Research.com 2026 ranking edition. Based on 6,494 ranked scientists.
D-Index Scientists This scientist
30 200
31 236
32 253
33 283
34 288
35 240
36 246
37 243
38 247
39 229
40 232
41 230
42 228
43 219
44 193
45 164
46 158
47 143
48 131
49 127
50 122
51 122
52 110
53 102
54 98
55 79
56 85
57 88
58 91
59 62
60 61
61 59
62 54
63 61
64 59
65 58
66 41
67 49
68 39
69 32
70 40
71 47
72 38
73 28
74 29
75 28
76 22
77 21
78 25
79 26
80 19
81 16
82 12
83 16
84 14
85 11
86 17
87 13
88 10
89 12
90 18
91 16
92 16
93 17
94 12
95 8
96 9
97 9
98 11
99 12
100 5
101 8
102 4
103 11
104 5
105 9
106 7
107 4
108 8
109+ 99 137
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Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Ecology and Evolution in Germany Leader Award
  • 2026 - Research.com Plant Science and Agronomy in Germany Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Ecology and Evolution in Germany Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Plant Science and Agronomy in Germany Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Ecology and Evolution in Germany Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Plant Science and Agronomy in Germany Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Ecology and Evolution in Germany Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Plant Science and Agronomy in Germany Leader Award
  • 2021 - German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina - Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences
  • 2019 - Fellow of the Ecological Society of America (ESA)

Overview

Matthias C. Rillig is affiliated with Freie Universität Berlin in Germany. Their research spans multiple fields within environmental and biological sciences, with a strong focus on soil science, plant science, and ecological interactions. Their main fields of study include Environmental Science and Agricultural and Biological Sciences, supported by substantial contributions to subfields such as Plant Science, Pollution, Ecology, Soil Science, and Nature and Landscape Conservation.

The scientist's research covers key topics involving Microplastics and Plastic Pollution, Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions, Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics, Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies, Recycling and Waste Management Techniques, biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties, and Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology.

Matthias C. Rillig has published extensively in several scientific journals, with frequent publications appearing in:

  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
  • Environmental Science & Technology
  • New Phytologist
  • Global Change Biology
  • Nature Communications

Recent significant papers authored or co-authored include:

  • The concept and future prospects of soil health, 2020, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment
  • Global ecosystem thresholds driven by aridity, 2020, Science
  • Microplastic in terrestrial ecosystems, 2020, Science
  • The interplay between microbial communities and soil properties, 2023, Nature Reviews Microbiology
  • The fungal collaboration gradient dominates the root economics space in plants, 2020, Science Advances

The scientist frequently collaborates with colleagues such as Anika Lehmann, Shin Woong Kim, Yong-Guan Zhu, Yudi M. Lozano, and Eva F. Leifheit, illustrating a consistent network of research partnerships.

Matthias C. Rillig has been recognized through notable awards, including induction into the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2021 for Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences and designation as a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) in 2019.

Best Publications

  • Biochar effects on soil biota – A review

    Johannes Lehmann;Matthias C. Rillig;Janice Thies;Caroline A. Masiello

  • Microplastics as an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems

    Anderson Abel de Souza Machado;Anderson Abel de Souza Machado;Werner Kloas;Werner Kloas;Christiane Zarfl;Stefan Hempel

  • Mycorrhizas and soil structure

    Matthias C. Rillig;Daniel L. Mummey

  • TRY plant trait database : Enhanced coverage and open access

    Jens Kattge;Gerhard Bönisch;Sandra Díaz;Sandra Lavorel

  • Microplastics Can Change Soil Properties and Affect Plant Performance

    Anderson Abel de Souza Machado;Anderson Abel de Souza Machado;Chung W Lau;Chung W Lau;Chung W Lau;Werner Kloas;Werner Kloas;Joana Bergmann

  • Impacts of Microplastics on the Soil Biophysical Environment

    Anderson Abel de Souza Machado;Anderson Abel de Souza Machado;Chung Wai Lau;Chung Wai Lau;Chung Wai Lau;Jennifer Till;Werner Kloas;Werner Kloas

  • Mycorrhizal responses to biochar in soil – concepts and mechanisms

    Daniel D. Warnock;Johannes Lehmann;Thomas W. Kuyper;Matthias C. Rillig;Matthias C. Rillig

  • Microplastic in Terrestrial Ecosystems and the Soil

    Matthias C. Rillig

  • The concept and future prospects of soil health.

    Johannes Lehmann;Deborah A. Bossio;Ingrid Kögel-Knabner;Matthias C. Rillig

  • Where less may be more: How the rare biosphere pulls ecosystems strings

    Alexandre Jousset;Christina Bienhold;Antonis Chatzinotas;Laure Gallien

  • Choosing and using diversity indices: Insights for ecological applications from the German Biodiversity Exploratories

    E. Kathryn Morris;E. Kathryn Morris;Tancredi Caruso;François Buscot;François Buscot;Markus Fischer

  • Arbuscular mycorrhizae, glomalin, and soil aggregation

    Matthias C. Rillig

  • Global ecosystem thresholds driven by aridity

    Miguel Berdugo;Miguel Berdugo;Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo;Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo;Santiago Soliveres;Rocío Hernández-Clemente

  • Microplastic in terrestrial ecosystems

    Matthias C. Rillig;Anika Lehmann

  • Soil aggregation and carbon sequestration are tightly correlated with the abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: results from long-term field experiments

    Gail W. T. Wilson;Charles W. Rice;Matthias C. Rillig;Adam Springer

  • The fungal collaboration gradient dominates the root economics space in plants.

    Joana Bergmann;Alexandra Weigelt;Fons van der Plas;Daniel C. Laughlin

  • Rooting theories of plant community ecology in microbial interactions

    James D. Bever;Ian A. Dickie;Evelina Facelli;Jose M. Facelli

  • Land use intensification alters ecosystem multifunctionality via loss of biodiversity and changes to functional composition

    Eric Allan;Pete Manning;Fabian Alt;Julia Binkenstein

  • Microplastic transport in soil by earthworms

    Matthias C. Rillig;Lisa Ziersch;Stefan Hempel

  • Large contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to soil carbon pools in tropical forest soils

    Matthias C. Rillig;Sara F. Wright;Kristine A. Nichols;Walter F. Schmidt

  • The role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and glomalin in soil aggregation: comparing effects of five plant species

    Matthias C. Rillig;Sara F. Wright;Valerie T. Eviner

Frequent Co-Authors

Stavros D. Veresoglou
Stavros D. Veresoglou Agricultural University of Athens
Anika Lehmann
Anika Lehmann Freie Universität Berlin
Stefan Hempel
Stefan Hempel Freie Universität Berlin
Tancredi Caruso
Tancredi Caruso Queen's University Belfast
John N. Klironomos
John N. Klironomos American University of Sharjah
Jeff R. Powell
Jeff R. Powell Western Sydney University
Erik Verbruggen
Erik Verbruggen University of Antwerp
Michael F. Allen
Michael F. Allen University of California, Riverside
Pedro M. Antunes
Pedro M. Antunes Algoma University
Baodong Chen
Baodong Chen Chinese Academy of Sciences

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