De Bona, S. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2023

lydemapr: an R package to track the spread of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula, White 1845) (Hemiptera, Fulgoridae) in the United States

A crucial asset in the management of invasive species is the open-access sharing of data on the range of invaders and the progression of their spread. Such data should be current, comprehensive, consistent, and standardized, to support reproducible and comparable forecasting efforts among multiple researchers and managers. Here, we present the lydemapr R package containing spatiotemporal data and mapping functions to visualize the current spread of the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula, White 1841) in the Western Hemisphere. The spotted lanternfly is a forest and agricultural pest in the eastern Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., where it was first discovered in 2014. As of 2022, it has been found in 12 states according to state and federal departments of agriculture. However, the lack of easily accessible, fine-scale data on its spread hampers research and management efforts. We obtained multiple memoranda-of-understanding from several agencies and citizen-science projects, gaining access to their internal data on spotted lanternfly point observations. We then cleaned, harmonized, anonymized, and combined the individual data sources into a single comprehensive dataset. The resulting dataset contains spatial data gridded at the 1 km2 resolution, with yearly information on the presence/absence of spotted lanternflies, establishment status, and population density across 658,392 observations. The lydemapr package will aid researchers, managers, and the public in their understanding, modeling, and managing of the spread of this invasive pest.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2022

Multiscale assessment of oviposition habitat associations and implications for management in the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), an emerging invasive pest

O_LIControl of incipient invaders--established invasive species in the early stages of spreading-- can be inhibited by incomplete knowledge of the species habitat use. By identifying consistent habitat associations for incipient invaders early, control efforts can be more effective. Yet, because habitat associations are the result of multiscale processes, approaches are needed for integrating data collected across scales to identify them. C_LIO_LIWe employed a hierarchical, multiscale approach to identify oviposition habitat associations in the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) an incipient invasive species of high concern in the United States. We targeted the oviposition habitat spatial scales most likely to be used by lanternflies and the spatial scales of explanatory environmental variables most easily used by managers to locate egg masses to control. We explored whether habitat associations exist for oviposition habitat use and how well habitat use is explained by the duration sites have been invaded. Finally, because habitat associations are likely driven by fitness, we determined if the use of any habitat types were associated with higher fitness as measured by the number of eggs per egg mass (i.e., fecundity). C_LIO_LISpotted lanternflies exhibited oviposition habitat associations at the landscape, site, and tree scales. Overall, lanternflies oviposited more frequently at sites and on trees with low canopy cover in the surrounding landscape, on trees from the Acer genus, and in the crowns of larger trees beyond the reach of managers without special equipment. The duration a site had been invaded had opposing effects at the site and tree scales which indicates the need for scale-dependent management approaches. C_LIO_LIDespite the consistent habitat associations identified, no environmental variables explained variation in lanternfly fecundity, indicating more work is needed to identify environmental drivers of spotted lanternfly fitness. C_LIO_LISynthesis and applications. Our results indicate a multiscale approach is needed for spotted lanternfly control with unique strategies for locating egg masses at sites and on trees that vary in invasion duration. Additionally, our results suggest that multiscale investigations of habitat associations would likely inform the control of other invasive species as well. C_LI

ecology↗