A Comprehensive Trait Dataset for Terrestrial Arthropods of the Azores: Insights for conservation, island ecology and species invasion

This dataset provides the first comprehensive and standardized compilation of functional traits for terrestrial arthropods known to occur in the Azores Archipelago. In addition to trait information, we include detailed data on each species’ origin (i.e., means of establishment). The trait selection focuses on variables for which we had a priori expectations regarding their responses to habitat disturbance (e.g., body size, dispersal ability, diel activity, habitat presence), traits central to species interactions (e.g., trophic level, food consumption type, feeding behavior), and traits broadly comparable across diverse terrestrial arthropod taxa. The dataset comprises 60 traits capturing ecological, morphological, physiological, behavioral, life-history, and habitat-related characteristics of the arthropod taxa analyzed. With one exception—feeding behavior in Lepidoptera, which is based on larval mouthparts due to many adults being non-feeding—all traits refer to adult life stages, following established practices in functional trait research.