Using Google Trends to improve monitoring of the invasive spotted lanternfly in the United States

Invasive species pose significant threats to ecosystems and human industry and are being rapidly exacerbated by increased globalization and climate change. Effective monitoring of invasive species is crucial for control and eradication efforts, but traditional methods can be costly and resource-intensive. Here, we explore the use of Google Trends, a tool quantifying internet searches made on the Google search engine, to monitor the spread of the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), a recent invasive insect in the United States that has resulted in a number of negative ecological and agricultural effects. We analyzed Google search data for this species from 2014 to 2022 and compared it to official occurrence data pooled from a variety of government and citizen science-based sources. Our results show a significant positive relationship between the number of Google searches and the presence of the spotted lanternfly. Yearly patterns in Google search data align with observed population sizes, and seasonal patterns with the emergence of mature adult spotted lanternflies. Our results indicate that Google Trends may be particularly useful in complementing traditional monitoring methods. We discuss its efficacy in monitoring the spotted lanternfly invasion in particular as well as possible considerations and limitations of this approach generally. In total, this approach could enhance future monitoring of the spotted lanternfly and possibly other invasive species to better inform conservation efforts

入侵物种对生态系统和人类产业构成重大威胁，其威胁程度因全球化加剧和气候变化而迅速恶化。有效监测入侵物种对于控制与根除措施至关重要，但传统方法往往成本高昂且资源密集。本研究旨在探讨利用谷歌趋势（Google Trends），一种量化谷歌搜索引擎上进行的网络搜索的工具，来监测美国近年来入侵的斑马萤（Lycorma delicatula）的扩散情况。斑马萤作为一种入侵性昆虫，已引发一系列负面的生态和农业影响。我们分析了2014年至2022年间该物种的谷歌搜索数据，并将其与来自多个政府和公民科学来源的官方发生数据进行了比较。我们的结果表明，谷歌搜索次数与斑马萤的存在之间存在着显著的正相关关系。谷歌搜索数据的年度模式与观察到的种群规模相一致，而季节性模式则与成熟成虫斑马萤的出现相吻合。我们的研究结果表明，谷歌趋势在补充传统监测方法方面可能特别有用。我们特别讨论了其在监测斑马萤入侵中的有效性，以及这一方法一般性的考虑因素和局限性。总的来说，这种方法有望增强对未来斑马萤及其他入侵物种的监测，以便更好地指导保护工作。