Validation of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug survey in Washington, Utah, North Carolina, and California

Invasive species are particularly problematic because it is often
difficult to eradicate once established, it is crucial to economically and
effectively allocate resources for early monitoring and eradication
programs. Given that the cost to manage an invasive species after it is
established is typically 10-15 times higher (or more) than the cost to
eradicate the species early during an invasion, the failure to effectively
allocate resources for monitoring remains a major impediment to effective
invasive species management. Ecological niche models are often used to
predict the distribution of invasive species before or after they have
been detected in new regions. Such models should also be used to guide
surveys to promote the early detection and eradication of invasive
species. Here we propose a practical framework that seamlessly uses
ecological niche models to develop sampling routes that promote detection
of invasive species. Our framework uses habitat suitability predictions
and occurrence data on incursion populations to generate potential survey
sites, which are then prioritized for sampling based on their size and
suitability. The generated survey route is then displayed on an open
street map platform. Our framework was developed into the “enmRoute” R
package and a user-friendly website to facilitate its application, and we
validated our framework with a case study. We show that integrating
ecological niche models with human transport routes promotes the
identification of survey sites that are predicted to collect more
individuals and have a greater potential for species detection than
traditional sampling approaches. The data provided here is intended to
validate our platform and to optimize the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
survey in Washington, Utah, North Carolina, and California. The habitat
suitability predictions for this stinkbug and detection in these four
states were provided, together with the scripts that were used to generate
survey routes.