# The Central Paratethys Sea—rise and demise of a Miocene European marine biodiversity hotspot

*PRI Rank #20 · Topics and Trends in Most Cited Marine Biology and Ecology Research Papers, Class of 2026*

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/marine-biology-and-ecology-research/2026/rank-20*

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rank | #20 |
| 18m citations | 23 |
| Journal | Scientific Reports |
| Year | 2024 |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41598-024-67370-6 |
| Corresponding authors | Mathias Harzhauser |
| Institution | Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria |

**Ranking page:** [Topics and Trends in Most Cited Marine Biology and Ecology Research Papers, Class of 2026](https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/marine-biology-and-ecology-research/2026)

**Paper link:** [10.1038/s41598-024-67370-6](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-67370-6)

## Topics

Central Paratethys Sea · Miocene Climate Optimum · gastropod species · Middle Miocene Climate Transition · Coral reef · Environmental heterogeneity · corallivorous gastropods · deep-water faunas · biogeographic fragmentation · turnover rates · Sarmatian · bottom water dysoxia · planktotrophic species · archipelago-like landscape · tectonic reorganization · Early/Middle Miocene boundary · Circum-Mediterranean Region · georeferenced dataset · Marine biodiversity hotspot

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Marine Biology and Ecology Research Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/marine-biology-and-ecology-research/2026. Accessed 2026-07-23.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```