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Databases

Provides selected Database resources from agencies and organizations with an interest in the prevention, control, or eradication of invasive species.

Spotlights

  • United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RIIS)

    • Nov 4, 2022
    • DOI. United States Geological Survey.

    • Updated version 2.0, released November 4, 2022.

      Introduced (non-native) species that becomes established may eventually become invasive, so tracking introduced species provides a baseline for effective modeling of species trends and interactions, geospatially and temporally.

      The United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RIIS) is comprised of three lists, one each for Alaska, Hawaii, and the conterminous United States. Each list includes introduced (non-native), established (reproducing) taxa that: are, or may become, invasive (harmful) in the locality; are not known to be harmful there; and/or have been used for biological control in the locality.

      To be included in the US-RIIS, a taxon must be non-native everywhere in the locality and established (reproducing) anywhere in the locality. Native pest species are not included. The US-RIIS builds on a previous dataset, A Comprehensive List of Non-Native Species Established in Three Major Regions of the U.S.: Version 3.0 (Simpson et al., 2020). An Open-File Report 2018-1156, 15 p., related to the predecessor of the US-RIIS: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181156.

      Note: GBIF-US was formerly hosted at BISON.USGS.gov. The existing BISON website was taken down on December 17, 2021 and users are now redirected to Species observations for the United States and U.S. Territories via the new pilot implementation of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF-US) data portal.

      View related resource: United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RISS) Story Map

  • Catalog of U.S. Federal Early Detection/Rapid Response Invasive Species Databases and Tools

    • Mar 29, 2019
    • DOI. USGS. ScienceBase Catalog.

    • USGS has published, and plans to update on a bimonthly basis into the foreseeable future, a dataset called "Catalog of U.S. Federal Early Detection/Rapid Response Invasive Species Databases and Tools." The catalog, developed in collaboration with the National Invasive Species Council Secretariat, is a multi-sheet spreadsheet that contains openly available, online, federally supported databases and tools dealing with various aspects of a potential national early detection and rapid response invasive species framework.
      Note: Version 2 was updated May 20, 2020.

  • Global Invasive Species Database (GISD)

    • IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.

    • The Global Invasive Species Database aims to increase awareness about invasive alien species and to facilitate effective prevention and management activities. The database focuses on invasive alien species that threaten native biodiversity and covers all taxonomic groups from micro-organisms to animals and plants in all ecosystems. Species information is either supplied by or reviewed by expert contributors from around the world. Provides distribution, life history, and impacts data for invasive species.
      View related resource: 100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species

  • Invasive Species Compendium (ISC)

    • CAB International.

    • The Invasive Species Compendium (ISC) is an encyclopaedic resource that brings together a wide range of different types of science-based information to support decision-making in invasive species management worldwide. It comprises detailed datasheets that have been written by experts, edited by an independent scientific organization, peer reviewed, and enhanced with data from specialist organizations, images, and maps, a bibliographic database and full text articles. New datasheets and data sets continue to be added, datasheets are reviewed and updated, and scientific literature added on a weekly basis. The ISC has been resourced by a diverse international Consortium of Government departments, Non-governmental organizations and private companies. The database is a living compendium and will grow over time.
      See also: New Invasive Species Database: Supports Food Security and Public Health (USAID Blog, Jul 11, 2011)

  • Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Database

    • DOI. USGS. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.

    • Serves as a central repository for accurate and spatially referenced biogeographic accounts of nonindigenous aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates. Provided are scientific reports, online/realtime queries, spatial data sets, regional contact lists, and general information for aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates occurring outside of their native range. The geographical coverage is the United States.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources of this type, organized by source.

Partnership
  • Database of Island Invasive Species Eradications

    • Island Conservation; Invasive Species Specialist Group; University of California, Santa Cruz; Maanaki Whenua-Landcare Research; University of Auckland.

    • A centralized database covering all of the recorded invasive vertebrate eradications on islands and an important tool in helping improve the quality of eradications.

  • Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS)

    • University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

    • Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) is a platform for invasive and pest species information and occurrence data including all taxa and environments, and provides a more accurate picture of the distribution of invasive species. EDDMapS will allow land managers, agencies, and others to set priorities for early detection and rapid response (EDRR), as well as formulate overall invasive plant management action plans. EDDMapS provides online tools for citizens to report invasive species sightings and maps these sightings to provide distribution information by species, state, and county. There are many tools available to help small, locally-based groups to map and manage their invasive and pest species populations.

  • European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) Databases

    • European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization.

    • Contains several databases: EPPO Codes, EPPO Global Database, EPPO Database on PP1 Standards – Efficacy evaluation of PPPs, EPPO Database on Diagnostic Expertise, and CAPRA (Computer Assisted Pest Risk Analysis).

  • Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

    • Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

    • The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international network and data infrastructure funded by the world's governments and aimed at providing anyone, anywhere, open access to data about all types of life on Earth.

      Provides mapping functions for species globally. The GBIF network draws sources together through the use of data standards, such as Darwin Core, which forms the basis for the bulk of GBIF.org's index of hundreds of millions of species occurrence records. Publishers provide open access to their datasets using machine-readable Creative Commons license designations, allowing scientists, researchers, and others to apply the data in hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and policy papers each year. Many of these analyses—which cover topics from the impacts of climate change and the spread of invasive and alien pests to priorities for conservation and protected areas, food security and human health— would not be possible without this.

      Note: USGS's BISON (Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation) which provided North American species occurrence data and maps is moving away from the 10-year-old infrastructure of the existing BISON website (bison.usgs.gov) to a GBIF data portal for the U.S. (www.gbif.us) provided by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), which will be live on October 1, 2021.  The existing BISON website will be taken down on December 17, 2021 at which time users will be redirected to www.gbif.us.

  • InvaCost Database: Economic Cost Estimates Associated with Biological Invasions

    • figshare.

    • InvaCost is the most up-to-date, comprehensive, standardized and robust data compilation and description of economic cost estimates associated with invasive species worldwide. InvaCost has been constructed to provide a contemporary and freely available repository of monetary impacts that can be relevant for both research and evidence-based policy making.

  • Invasive Plant Control Database

    • Midwest Invasive Plant Network.

    • Provides information on how to control many invasive plants common to the Midwestern U.S. Information was collected from both scientific literature and expert opinions and summarized by the Midwest Invasive Plant Network (MIPN), in partnership with the Mark Renz lab from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

  • Invasive.org - Images of Invasive and Exotic Species

    • University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

  • North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)

    • North American Bat Monitoring Program.

    • Launched in 2015, the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) is a continental program that monitors bats at local and range-wide scales. NABat monitoring efforts focus on the 46 species of bats shared by Canada, the United States and Mexico. NABat provides reliable data to promote effective conservation and long-term viability of bat populations and is jointly led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. Participating members include U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and other federal, state and provincial agencies in the U.S. and Canada, local and regional agencies, native Tribes, academic institutions, businesses and conservation organizations.

      White-nose syndrome has killed over 90% of northern long-eared, little brown and tri-colored bat populations in fewer than 10 years, according to a new study published in Conservation Biology.
      See also: Summing Up NABat Successes (U.S. Forest Service, CompassLive - Aug 5, 2021)

  • Southeast (SE) Bat Hub

    • North American Bat Monitoring Program.

    • The Southeast (SE) Bat Hub was created in summer 2022 to coordinate North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABAT) survey projects in the Southeastern states. The Hub provides services, updates, and content to assist the NABat efforts across the region.

      Since 2006, white-nose syndrome (a fungal disease) has been infecting bat populations across the U.S. This disease has killed some species of bats, such as the tricolored bat and northern long-eared bats at alarming rates.
      See also: The Southeast Bat Hub Coordinates NABat Monitoring Efforts in the Southeast (U.S. Forest Service, CompassLive - Dec 12, 2023)

  • TexasInvasives.org

    • TexasInvasives.org.

  • Weeds Australia

    • Centre for Invasive Species Solutions; Atlas of Living Australia; Australian Government. Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

    • This collection houses Australia's most accurate and detailed listing of weeds within Australia and provides descriptions of their status in each Australian jurisdiction, as well as information about their physical and biological characteristics, diagnostic features, impacts, management strategies and methods, distribution and links to key resource and documents.

Federal Government
  • National Invasive Species Information Management System (NISIMS) - Plants

    • Mar 8, 2021, V1.2
    • United States Geological Survey.

    • The Bureau of Land Management's National Invasive Species Information Management System (NISIMS) is designed to collect field data and store it in a standard database to allow for data sharing and reporting at the local, state and national levels. At this time, the system reports and tracks weed infestations only, Future versions of the system will report and track infestations by all taxa including weeds, birds, fish, and algae. The system also reports and tracks treatments of these invasive weed species infestations on public lands.

  • Aquatic eDNAtlas Project

    • Aug 18, 2020
    • USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station.

    • The Aquatic eDNAtlas Project supports effective conservation and management of freshwater biota during an era of rapid climate change, nonnative species invasions, and habitat loss. Rocky Mountain Research Station scientists have been at the forefront of investigating and applying eDNA sampling for aquatic species.

      The eDNAtlas allows land managers, scientists, and the public to access results from samples collected from aquatic systems throughout the U.S. The eDNAtlas database contains results from thousands of sites.

  • Alien Forest Pest Explorer (AFPE)

    • USDA. FS. Northern Research Station.

    • The Alien Forest Pest Explorer (AFPE) is an interactive web tool which provides detailed spatial data describing pest distributions and host inventory estimates for damaging, non-indigenous forest insect and disease pathogens currently established in the U.S. Provides static maps displaying pest distributions (state and county) and a new interactive mapping tool (beta).

  • Distribution Mapping and Analysis Portal (DisMAP)

    • DOC. NOAA. Fisheries.

    • DisMAP provides easy access to information to track and understand distributions of marine species in the U.S. Marine Ecosystems. Launch the portal to explore, visualize and interact with information on marine species distributions. The portal  is part of NOAA Fisheries ongoing efforts to increase the delivery and use of climate-related information to advance climate-smart science and management decisions.  The portal enables users to view, download, dynamically explore and visualize data and information on species distributions. Specifically, users can explore changes in species distributions on a map and view time series graphs showing changes in key metrics of a species distribution (e.g., average latitude, average depth) over time for over 800 species collected in NOAA bottom trawl surveys.

      See also: NOAA Showcases New Mapping Tool for Marine Species: Data Reveals Fish are Shifting into Different Waters (News Release - Apr 19, 2022)

  • Explore Taxonomic Tree

    • DOI. Fish and Wildlife Service.

    • The species taxonomy defines groupings of biological organisms based on their shared characteristics. These groupings, called taxa (or singular taxon), are arranged based on taxonomic rank in which the deeper down the tree you are, the more granular the grouping characteristics are. This tree structure, with branches further down the line getting more specific, creates an overall hierarchy for categorizing life.

  • Fire Effects Information System (FEIS)

    • USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station. Fire Sciences Laboratory.

    • This database contains literature reviews of botanical characteristics, life cycle, habitat, succession, distribution, impacts, fire ecology, and fire effects for 1000 plant and animal species, including 67 non-native invasive species. Future plans include updating many of these "species summaries" and adding 30-40 more summaries of non-native invasives over the next 1.5 years.

  • Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System (GLANSIS)

    • DOC. NOAA. Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System (GLANSIS).

    • The present database targets nonindigenous aquatic species that are not considered to have been native to any part of the Great Lakes basin. GLANSIS functions as a Great Lakes specific node of the USGS NAS national database.

  • National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System (NEMESIS)

    • Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Marine Invasions Research Lab.

    • NEMESIS is a resource for information on non-native (or exotic) species that occur in coastal marine waters of the United States. This relational database compiles detailed information on approximately 500 different non-native species of plants, fish, invertebrates, protists and algae that have invaded our coastal waters. The database identifies which species have been reported, their current population status (i.e., whether established or not), as well as when, where, and how they invaded; it also summarizes key information on the biology, ecology, and known impacts of each invader.

  • PLANTS Database

    • USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.

    • The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories. The database includes names, checklists, automated tools, identification information, species abstracts, distributional data, crop information, plant symbols, plant growth data, plant materials information, plant links, references, and other plant information. The PLANTS database contains native and naturalized plants of the PLANTS Floristic Area (PFA), which consists of North America and all additional U.S. territories and protectorates.
      Note: The Invasive/Noxious Weeds data in the previous PLANTS version were outdated and not migrated to the new PLANTS version (new site launched in Spring 2021). A new PLANTS Invasive/Noxious Weeds dataset has been developed and will be deployed to PLANTS in a later release.

Professional
  • Calflora - Invasive Plants

    • Calflora.

    • Calflora provides a specialized mapping platform for plant locations as a public service. This platform consists of a geospatial database, and a set of web applications and phone applications. While originally developed to track native plant populations, the platform has also been used to advantage to track non-native populations.

  • Common Names of Insects Database

    • Entomological Society of America.

    • The Entomological Society of America (ESA) Common Names database is an essential reference for anyone who works with insects. It includes more than 2,000 common names and is searchable by common name, scientific name, author, order, family, genus, and species.
      See also: Better Common Names Project