Data from: Fast life history traits promote invasion success in amphibians and reptiles

Competing theoretical models make different predictions on which life
history strategies facilitate growth of small populations. While ‘fast’
strategies allow for rapid increase in population size and limit
vulnerability to stochastic events, ‘slow’ strategies and bet-hedging may
reduce variance in vital rates in response to stochasticity. We test these
predictions using biological invasions since founder alien populations
start small, compiling the largest dataset yet of global herpetological
introductions and life history traits. Using state-of-the-art phylogenetic
comparative methods, we show that successful invaders have fast traits,
such as large and frequent clutches, at both establishment and spread
stages. These results, together with recent findings in mammals and
plants, support ‘fast advantage’ models and the importance of high
potential population growth rate. Conversely, successful alien birds are
bet-hedgers. We propose that transient population dynamics and differences
in longevity and behavioural flexibility can help reconcile apparently
contrasting results across terrestrial vertebrate classes.