Using Google Trends to improve monitoring of the invasive spotted lanternfly in the United States
Description
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
Files
Steps to reproduce
Google search data was collected from the Google Trends tool. Spotted lanternfly population data was collected from the lydemapr package and from the iNaturalist database. Two R scripts and their requisite data files are provided separately for statistical analyses of 1) the United States and 2) select states therein.