The traits and factors catalog: A data compendium of non-native forest insects on North American trees

The Traits and Factors Catalog (TRAFAC) is a database of non-native forest insects on trees in North America that was developed by the High-Impact Insect Invasions working group. In 2020, the group produced two databases, which focused on 58 conifer and 100 woody angiosperm (hereafter, hardwood) specialists, respectively. The third and newly published database considers traits of the 158 insects documented in the previous TRAFAC databases plus 90 additional insects, as well as traits of their novel hosts, which include 360+ hardwood and 50+ conifer trees native to North America. For each of the 248 non-native insects, the database provides information on: 1) traits of the insect, 2) traits of the insects’ North American (novel) host plants, 3) the shortest phylogenetic distance between the novel and native range host plants, and 4) related North American insects feeding on the same novel host plant(s). Here, we show some of the summary statistics from the database, with an emphasis on insect and host traits. Further, we illustrate how the data have been used to support ongoing development of an i-Tree Pest Predictor tool that will forecast impact of non-native insects on North American trees should they arrive and establish in North America. The new TRAFAC database is available online and publicly accessible via the U.S. Geological Survey Science Base repository. A wide range of novel questions and applications can be explored with the individual variables included in the TRAFAC database, so we encourage others to take advantage of these synthesized resources.