Plant scientists' research attention is skewed towards colourful, conspicuous and broadly distributed flowers

Despite the perception that plant science focuses on strictly scientific criteria, this analysis finds that there is an aesthetic bias in regards to which plants, based on certain traits, receive more research attention. Scientists' research interests are often skewed toward charismatic organisms, but quantifying research biases is challenging. By combining bibliometric data with trait-based approaches and using a well-studied alpine flora as a case study, we demonstrate that morphological and colour traits, as well as range size, have significantly more impact on species choice for wild flowering plants than traits related to ecology and rarity. These biases should be taken into account to inform more objective plant conservation efforts.

Automated summary

Despite the perceived scientific nature of plant science, there is an aesthetic bias in research attention towards certain plants based on their traits. Scientists tend to focus more on charismatic plants, with morphological, color, and range size traits having a greater impact on species choice for wild flowering plants than ecological and rarity traits. These biases need to be considered for more objective plant conservation efforts.