DECAPOD DATA MINING: HISTORY OF RESEARCH ON SUPRATIDAL BRACHYURAN BURROWS

In neoichnological research, a thorough understanding of the ecology of a particular tracemaker is crucial for evaluating the utility of its biogenic structures as paleoenvironmental indicators. Web data mining provides rapid and effective means of assessing the current state of research and identifying knowledge gaps, as part of future research design. Using the current knowledge base, we queried for citation statistics during the 1800-2016 period using parse words associated with supratidal decapod bioturbation structures. Word reference, citation metrics, and research impact are obtained through various applications (Web of Science, Google Scholar, GeoRef, Scopus, ReaserchGate, and ScienceDirect). Examples of keyword search, included, but were not limited to: crab/decapod/brachyuran+burrow, supratidal+burrow+sea level/water table, Cardisoma/Ocypode+burrow, Macanopsis, and Psilonichnus. Citation analysis provides useful quantitative information (e.g., sequence patterns, word frequency, research impact). Reference and citation metrics are tracked by decade, with statistics binned for scientific disciplines, publication year, research areas, and geographic location. For example the GeoRef crab+burrow search yields 144 published articles and abstracts, declining to only 3 for brachyuran+burrow. In contrast, the Web of Science Biological Abstracts search contained 707 and 22 citations, respectively. Once a geological term is introduced (e.g., decapod+burrow+sea level), both of the above databases contain 4 primary sources, but additional 4-5 published abstracts and reports appear in GeoRef archives. Our study demonstrates that: 1) to date, only a handful of papers address the indicative meaning of supratidal decapod burrows, especially as related to sea level and 2) much of the literature related to brachyuran burrow ecology is confined to biological literature not typically accessed by ichnologists. However, a continuous improvement in cross-referenced search engines greatly facilitates data mining.