Northeast Sleeper Species Database (ver. 2.0, April 2024)

Sleeper populations are established populations of introduced species whose population growth is limited by one or more abiotic or biotic conditions. Sleeper populations pose an invasion risk if a change in those limiting conditions, such as climate change, enables population growth and invasion. With thousands of established species, it is critical that we identify and prioritize potential sleepers. Here, we identified non-native plants established in the northeastern United States with high impacts and the potential to expand with climate change. We focused on 118 taxa regulated by one or more state outside the Northeast plus 61 taxa recorded as invasive globally and under consideration for regulation in the Northeast. We identified 49 plants with ecological impacts linked to loss of native diversity and 94 plants with socioeconomic impacts. 81 species showed an increase in climatic suitability for abundant populations with climate change. This approach can inform climate-smart, proactive management of sleeper populations before they become invasive.

Original version - May 2022 (available from author)
First Revision - February 2023 (available from author)
Second Revision - May 2024 (version 2.0)