Trends in grouse research

Biological research on birds of the grouse family has become increasingly related to conservation. We review trends in grouse biology, analysing the representation of species and topics in the titles of 2,788 papers published since 1930. Ruffed grouse Bonasa umbellus, the most frequently studied species before 1960, was overtaken by willow ptarmigan Lagopus lagopus in the 1970s, after which black grouse Tetrao tetrix and capercaillie Tetrao urogallus became increasingly popular until they were the most-studied species in the 2000s. The new focus on conservation ecology involves increased interest in the topics of threatened taxa, genetics and conservation. A new appreciation of the role of large, landscape-scale processes in population dynamics and conservation management is shown by an increase in publications on landscape ecology and habitat, enabled by technical advances in telemetry, genetics and mapping systems. Meanwhile, the number of papers on disease, diet, behaviour and reproduction has declined. The topics of climate change, humandisturbance andpollutionhad fewhits, butwe anticipate that interest in themwill increase as the current emphasis on conservation continues. This may well involve improved genetic and GIS techniques for determining dispersal patterns, habitat connectivity and population viability, alongwith a better understanding of how grouse survive their predators and other enemies. Better communication of experiences in management for grouse conservation is needed.