FRIAS: Global Dataset of Freshwater Introduced Alien Species

The FRIAS (FReshwater Invasive and Alien Species) dataset is a global standardized compiled database of freshwater invasive and alien species worldwide. It integrates key data such as taxonomy, native and recipient ranges, introduction pathways, ecological impacts, and dates of first records. It provides harmonized information on freshwater invasive and alien species that can support a wide range of ecological, biogeographical, and management-oriented analyses. Users may explore patterns in the taxonomic composition of freshwater invasions, functional feeding groups, introduction pathways, impact classifications, native and recipient distributions, and temporal trends in first records. The visualization tools included in the workflow facilitate rapid exploration of the dataset and comparative analyses across taxonomic groups, geographic regions, or introduction periods. FRIAS dataset is generated through the transparent and replicable FRIAS workflow, whose code is stored on Github (https://github.com/AlbaSevilla/FRIAS). The FRIAS workflow has been completely implemented in the open-source statistical R software version 4.5.0 (R Core Team, 2025). All necessary R packages are automatically installed through the Packages_download() function. As the workflow has been developed on Debian GNU/Linux 13 (trixie), minor changes may be required to run on Windows or macOS systems (e.g., file path handling). To add new data, input databases must be provided in a .csv or .xlsx format. Data can be added manually or automatically incorporating instructions to the R script, which is recommended to ensure reproducibility. Once the download is completed, information from each database must be added to Auxiliary Table 1, which indicates the correspondence between original column names and the standardised schema used in FRIAS workflow. Once the harmonization step is completed, users may need to update Auxiliary Table 2 to account for new or database-specific terminology. Because FRIAS integrates information from multiple databases and literature sources with heterogeneous coverage, the completeness of individual fields varies among species. Variables such as introduction pathways, establishment status, impact classifications, and year of first record are only available when reported in the original sources. Users are therefore encouraged to consider data completeness and potential geographic or taxonomic biases when interpreting patterns derived from the database. The standardized structure of FRIAS facilitates interoperability with other biodiversity databases and allows future updates as new information becomes available.