Daniel Park

Aim Species occurrence data are valuable information that enables one to estimate geographical distributions, characterize niches and their evolution, and guide spatial conservation planning. Rapid increases in species occurrence data stem from increasing digitization and aggregation efforts, and citizen science initiatives. However, persistent quality issues in occurrence data can impact the accuracy of scientific findings, underscoring the importance of filtering erroneous occurrence records in biodiversity analyses. Innovation We introduce an R package, occTest, that synthesizes a growing open‐source ecosystem of biodiversity cleaning workflows to prepare occurrence data for different modelling applications. It offers a structured set of algorithms to identify potential problems with species occurrence records by employing a hierarchical organization of multiple tests. The workflow has a hierarchical structure organized in test Phases (i.e. cleaning vs. testing) that encompass different testBlocks grouping different testTypes (e.g. environmental outlier detection ), which may use different testMethods (e.g. Rosner test, jacknife, etc.). Four different testBlocks characterize potential problems in geographic, environmental, human influence and temporal dimensions. Filtering and plotting functions are incorporated to facilitate the interpretation of tests. We provide examples with different data sources, with default and user‐defined parameters. Compared to other available tools and workflows, occTest offers a comprehensive suite of integrated tests, and allows multiple methods associated with each test to explore consensus among data cleaning methods. It uniquely incorporates both coordinate accuracy analysis and environmental analysis of occurrence records. Furthermore, it provides a hierarchical structure to incorporate future tests yet to be developed. Main conclusions occTest will help users understand the quality and quantity of data available before the start of data analysis, while also enabling users to filter data using either predefined rules or custom‐built rules. As a result, occTest can better assess each record's appropriateness for its intended application.

Aim Darwin posited that invaders similar to native species are less likely to be successful due to competitive exclusion. A key axis across which such competition occurs across angiosperms is the timing of flowering, or reproductive phenology. It has been hypothesized that temporal isolation facilitates the establishment of introduced species. However, our knowledge of how the timing of flowering may influence invasion success is lacking at broader geographic and larger taxonomic scales. To address this impasse, we investigated: (i) how flowering phenology differs between native and non‐native species; (ii) whether the flowering phenology of successful invaders is distinct from native taxa; and (iii) whether invasive species tend to be more closely related to natives than other less successful, non‐invasive introduced species are. Location California, USA. Time Period Present. Major Taxa Studied Angiosperms. Methods We compiled phenological data for over 6000 angiosperm species across California, a highly invaded biodiversity hotspot, from published flora. Using these data, we assessed the degree of phenological and phylogenetic similarity among native, non‐invasive introduced, and invasive species. We also examined how this similarity varies with climate. Results Both non‐invasive introduced and invasive species were more phenologically and phylogenetically distant from natives than natives were from each other. However, invasive plants tend to be more similar to native species in terms of flowering phenology and phylogenetic relationships than non‐invasive introduced species. Further, the degree of similarity between native and non‐native species was mediated by climate, where phenological and phylogenetic similarities were greater in cooler regions. Main Conclusions Together, our results demonstrate that both similarity and distinctiveness can facilitate plant invasions and that invaders just similar enough to the native flora are more likely to be successful.