The California Oak Disease and Arthropod ( CODA ) Database 1

The California Oak Disease and Arthropod (CODA) host index database is a compilation of information on agents that colonize or feed on oaks in California. Agents in the database include plant-feeding insects and mites, nematodes, microorganisms, viruses, and abiotic disease agents. CODA contains summarized information on hosts, agents, information sources, and the details of the host-agent interaction. Most of the 853 insect species in CODA are in the orders Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Homoptera. About 40 percent of the 378 species of fungi in CODA are pathogens. Of these, basidiomycete wood decay fungi have the most significant ecological impact. Landowners and resource managers need to consider the effects of diseases and arthropod pests on oaks when formulating management plans for oak woodlands or individual oaks. Over the past century, many different researchers have described a wide array of diseases and arthropods that affect oaks in California. However, the reports are found in numerous sources, many of which are not readily available to professionals involved with oak management in California. As part of a project to study the impacts of diseases and arthropods on California rangeland oaks (Swiecki and others 1990, 1991a, 1991b), we set out to compile the existing information on agents affecting oaks in California. Our goal was to organize this information in a format that was readily accessible and easy to update. We developed a computerized database, the California Oak Disease and Arthropod (CODA) Host Index (Swiecki and others 1996), to store and organize preexisting and new information on arthropods, microorganisms, and abiotic factors that affect oak health in California.