World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Robert J. Whittaker

Robert J. Whittaker

D-Index & Metrics

Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
83
Citations
29374
World Ranking
702
National Ranking
103

Robert J. Whittaker publication distribution in Ecology and Evolution in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Ecology and Evolution in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Robert J. Whittaker sits on this spectrum.

37–41 publications: 2 scientists 42–46 publications: 9 scientists 47–51 publications: 10 scientists 52–56 publications: 31 scientists 57–61 publications: 56 scientists 62–66 publications: 91 scientists 67–71 publications: 92 scientists 72–76 publications: 127 scientists 77–81 publications: 173 scientists 82–86 publications: 236 scientists 87–91 publications: 227 scientists 92–96 publications: 240 scientists 97–101 publications: 333 scientists 102–106 publications: 280 scientists 107–111 publications: 300 scientists 112–116 publications: 285 scientists 117–121 publications: 305 scientists 122–126 publications: 287 scientists 127–131 publications: 278 scientists 132–136 publications: 289 scientists 137–141 publications: 273 scientists 142–146 publications: 262 scientists 147–151 publications: 246 scientists 152–156 publications: 235 scientists 157–161 publications: 205 scientists 162–166 publications: 199 scientists 167–171 publications: 174 scientists 172–176 publications: 164 scientists 177–181 publications: 173 scientists 182–186 publications: 189 scientists 187–191 publications: 170 scientists 192–196 publications: 139 scientists 197–201 publications: 128 scientists 202–206 publications: 117 scientists 207–211 publications: 115 scientists 212–216 publications: 107 scientists 217–221 publications: 124 scientists 222–226 publications: 81 scientists 227–231 publications: 82 scientists 232–236 publications: 85 scientists 237–241 publications: 75 scientists 242–246 publications: 66 scientists 247–251 publications: 81 scientists 252–256 publications: 69 scientists 257–261 publications: 70 scientists 262–266 publications: 55 scientists 267–271 publications: 64 scientists 272–276 publications: 49 scientists 277–281 publications: 48 scientists 282–286 publications: 44 scientists 287–291 publications: 45 scientists 292–296 publications: 36 scientists 297–301 publications: 39 scientists 302–306 publications: 38 scientists 307–311 publications: 30 scientists 312–316 publications: 34 scientists 317–321 publications: 25 scientists 322–326 publications: 22 scientists 327–331 publications: 28 scientists 332–336 publications: 30 scientists 337–341 publications: 22 scientists 342–346 publications: 30 scientists 347–351 publications: 26 scientists 352–356 publications: 22 scientists 357–361 publications: 29 scientists 362–366 publications: 21 scientists 367–371 publications: 12 scientists 372–376 publications: 18 scientists 377–381 publications: 17 scientists 382–386 publications: 13 scientists 387–391 publications: 21 scientists 392–396 publications: 13 scientists 397–401 publications: 10 scientists 402–406 publications: 15 scientists 407–411 publications: 8 scientists 412–416 publications: 9 scientists 417–421 publications: 8 scientists 422–426 publications: 4 scientists 427–431 publications: 10 scientists 432–436 publications: 10 scientists 437–441 publications: 5 scientists 442–446 publications: 4 scientists 447–451 publications: 10 scientists 452–456 publications: 2 scientists 457–461 publications: 4 scientists 462–466 publications: 7 scientists 467–471 publications: 7 scientists 472–476 publications: 6 scientists 477–481 publications: 6 scientists 482–486 publications: 3 scientists 487–491 publications: 3 scientists 492–496 publications: 4 scientists 497–501 publications: 4 scientists 502–506 publications: 8 scientists 507–511 publications: 5 scientists 512–516 publications: 4 scientists 517–521 publications: 5 scientists 522–526 publications: 4 scientists 527–530 publications: 5 scientists 531+ publications: 100 scientists
37 publications 531+

This scientist: 270 publications — 88th percentile

88% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 531 publications or more.

Robert J. Whittaker D-index placement in Ecology and Evolution in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Ecology and Evolution scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Robert J. Whittaker sits on this spectrum.

30 D-Index: 95 scientists 31 D-Index: 123 scientists 32 D-Index: 191 scientists 33 D-Index: 245 scientists 34 D-Index: 252 scientists 35 D-Index: 244 scientists 36 D-Index: 249 scientists 37 D-Index: 244 scientists 38 D-Index: 254 scientists 39 D-Index: 254 scientists 40 D-Index: 280 scientists 41 D-Index: 274 scientists 42 D-Index: 266 scientists 43 D-Index: 233 scientists 44 D-Index: 248 scientists 45 D-Index: 208 scientists 46 D-Index: 201 scientists 47 D-Index: 213 scientists 48 D-Index: 207 scientists 49 D-Index: 172 scientists 50 D-Index: 209 scientists 51 D-Index: 199 scientists 52 D-Index: 153 scientists 53 D-Index: 169 scientists 54 D-Index: 163 scientists 55 D-Index: 148 scientists 56 D-Index: 120 scientists 57 D-Index: 146 scientists 58 D-Index: 137 scientists 59 D-Index: 140 scientists 60 D-Index: 104 scientists 61 D-Index: 119 scientists 62 D-Index: 118 scientists 63 D-Index: 99 scientists 64 D-Index: 77 scientists 65 D-Index: 100 scientists 66 D-Index: 86 scientists 67 D-Index: 83 scientists 68 D-Index: 75 scientists 69 D-Index: 94 scientists 70 D-Index: 57 scientists 71 D-Index: 68 scientists 72 D-Index: 59 scientists 73 D-Index: 63 scientists 74 D-Index: 66 scientists 75 D-Index: 60 scientists 76 D-Index: 42 scientists 77 D-Index: 49 scientists 78 D-Index: 39 scientists 79 D-Index: 37 scientists 80 D-Index: 43 scientists 81 D-Index: 41 scientists 82 D-Index: 45 scientists 83 D-Index: 34 scientists 84 D-Index: 40 scientists 85 D-Index: 35 scientists 86 D-Index: 55 scientists 87 D-Index: 24 scientists 88 D-Index: 24 scientists 89 D-Index: 30 scientists 90 D-Index: 23 scientists 91 D-Index: 25 scientists 92 D-Index: 27 scientists 93 D-Index: 27 scientists 94 D-Index: 13 scientists 95 D-Index: 23 scientists 96 D-Index: 12 scientists 97 D-Index: 14 scientists 98 D-Index: 19 scientists 99 D-Index: 16 scientists 100 D-Index: 14 scientists 101 D-Index: 5 scientists 102 D-Index: 21 scientists 103 D-Index: 16 scientists 104 D-Index: 10 scientists 105 D-Index: 7 scientists 106 D-Index: 7 scientists 107 D-Index: 7 scientists 108 D-Index: 6 scientists 109 D-Index: 9 scientists 110 D-Index: 11 scientists 111 D-Index: 12 scientists 112 D-Index: 9 scientists 113 D-Index: 7 scientists 114 D-Index: 3 scientists 115 D-Index: 8 scientists 116 D-Index: 5 scientists 117 D-Index: 11 scientists 118 D-Index: 4 scientists 119 D-Index: 2 scientists 120 D-Index: 5 scientists 121+ D-Index: 100 scientists
30 D-Index 121+

This scientist: 83 D-Index — 92nd percentile

92% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 121 D-Index or more.

Research.com Recognitions

  • 1975 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences

Overview

Robert J. Whittaker is affiliated with the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Their research primarily focuses on environmental science and agricultural and biological sciences, with a notable emphasis on ecology and related subfields.

The scientist's work spans multiple areas, including:

  • Ecology
  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Nature and Landscape Conservation
  • Ecological Modeling
  • Geography, Planning and Development

Key topics explored in their research include:

  • Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
  • Species Distribution and Climate Change
  • Plant and animal studies
  • Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
  • Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
  • Genetic diversity and population structure
  • Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Robert J. Whittaker has contributed to a range of publications, with frequent publications appearing in the following venues:

  • Journal of Biogeography
  • Frontiers of Biogeography
  • Science
  • Global Ecology and Biogeography
  • Landscape Ecology

Their recent papers include:

  • The human dimension of biodiversity changes on islands, 2021, Science
  • Evolutionary winners are ecological losers among oceanic island plants, 2021, Journal of Biogeography
  • Anthropogenic transitions from forested to human-dominated landscapes in southern Macaronesia, 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • Mycorrhizal types influence island biogeography of plants, 2021, Communications Biology
  • Effects of land-use change on avian taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity in a tropical montane rainforest, 2021, Diversity and Distributions

Frequent co-authors in their collaborative work include:

  • Thomas J. Matthews
  • Kostas A. Triantis
  • François Rigal
  • José María Fernández-Palacios
  • Lea de Nascimento

Among their recognized achievements, Robert J. Whittaker became a Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1975.

Best Publications

  • Scale and species richness: towards a general, hierarchical theory of species diversity

    Robert J. Whittaker;Katherine J. Willis;Richard Field

  • Conservation biogeography: assessment and prospect

    Robert J. Whittaker;Miguel B. Araújo;Paul Jepson;Richard J. Ladle

  • An Update of Wallace’s Zoogeographic Regions of the World

    Ben G. Holt;Jean-Philippe Lessard;Michael K. Borregaard;Susanne A. Fritz

  • Agroforestry: a refuge for tropical biodiversity?

    Shonil A. Bhagwat;Katherine J. Willis;H. John B. Birks;Robert J. Whittaker

  • ORIGINAL ARTICLE: A general dynamic theory of oceanic island biogeography

    Robert J. Whittaker;Kostas A. Triantis;Richard J. Ladle

  • Humboldt’s enigma: What causes global patterns of mountain biodiversity?

    Carsten Rahbek;Carsten Rahbek;Carsten Rahbek;Michael K. Borregaard;Robert K. Colwell;Robert K. Colwell;Robert K. Colwell;Bo Dalsgaard

  • Species Diversity--Scale Matters

    Katherine J. Willis;Robert J. Whittaker

  • Building mountain biodiversity: Geological and evolutionary processes

    Carsten Rahbek;Carsten Rahbek;Carsten Rahbek;Michael K. Borregaard;Alexandre Antonelli;Robert K. Colwell;Robert K. Colwell;Robert K. Colwell

  • Reducing uncertainty in projections of extinction risk from climate change

    Miguel B. Araújo;Miguel B. Araújo;Robert J. Whittaker;Richard J. Ladle;Markus Erhard

  • Beyond scarcity: citizen science programmes as useful tools for conservation biogeography

    Vincent Devictor;Vincent Devictor;Robert J. Whittaker;Coralie Beltrame

  • Island biogeography: Taking the long view of nature’s laboratories

    Robert J. Whittaker;Robert J. Whittaker;José María Fernández-Palacios;Thomas J. Matthews;Thomas J. Matthews;Michael K. Borregaard

  • Islands as model systems in ecology and evolution: prospects fifty years after MacArthur‐Wilson

    Ben H. Warren;Ben H. Warren;Ben H. Warren;Daniel Simberloff;Robert E. Ricklefs;Robin Aguilée

  • The island species–area relationship: biology and statistics

    Kostas A. Triantis;Kostas A. Triantis;François Guilhaumon;François Guilhaumon;François Guilhaumon;Robert J. Whittaker;Robert J. Whittaker

  • Net primary productivity allocation and cycling of carbon along a tropical forest elevational transect in the Peruvian Andes.

    C. A. J. Girardin;Y. Malhi;L. E. O. C. Aragão;M. Mamani

  • A reconstruction of Palaeo-Macaronesia, with particular reference to the long-term biogeography of the Atlantic island laurel forests

    José María Fernández-Palacios;José María Fernández-Palacios;Lea de Nascimento;Lea de Nascimento;Rüdiger Otto;Juan D. Delgado

  • ET come home: potential evapotranspiration in geographical ecology

    Joshua B. Fisher;Robert J. Whittaker;Robert J. Whittaker;Yadvinder Malhi

  • Plant Recolonization and Vegetation Succession on the Krakatau Islands, Indonesia

    R. J. Whittaker;M. B. Bush;K. Richards

  • Climatic gradients in woody plant (tree and shrub) diversity: water-energy dynamics, residual variation, and topography

    Eileen M. O'Brien;Richard Field;Robert J. Whittaker

  • The Refugial Debate

    K. J. Willis;R. J. Whittaker

  • Meta-analyses and mega-mistakes: calling time on meta-analysis of the species richness-productivity relationship.

    Robert J. Whittaker

  • What is the observed relationship between species richness and productivity? Commentary. Author's reply

    Robert J. Whittaker;Einar Heegaard;Gary G. Mittelbach;Samuel M. Scheiner

Frequent Co-Authors

Kostas A. Triantis
Kostas A. Triantis National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Thomas J. Matthews
Thomas J. Matthews University of Birmingham
Richard J. Ladle
Richard J. Ladle Federal University of Alagoas
José María Fernández-Palacios
José María Fernández-Palacios University of La Laguna
Paulo A. V. Borges
Paulo A. V. Borges University of the Azores
Katherine J. Willis
Katherine J. Willis University of Oxford
Miguel B. Araújo
Miguel B. Araújo University of Évora
Michael K. Borregaard
Michael K. Borregaard University of Copenhagen
Pedro Cardoso
Pedro Cardoso University of Lisbon
Joaquín Hortal
Joaquín Hortal Spanish National Research Council

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