Plant Functional Diversity Across Altitudinal Gradients in Oaxaca: Research by Daniela García Madrigal

Research on plant functional diversity across altitudinal gradients is the focus of work by Daniela García Madrigal, an undergraduate student in Forest Restoration Engineering from the Autonomous University of Chapingo, Mexico. She is currently based in the BioEO Functional Biodiversity and Earth Observation Lab, led by Dr Jesús Aguirre Gutiérrez. This week, Daniela presented her research on plant functional traits and biodiversity in Oaxaca, focusing on functional diversity across altitudinal gradients.

Daniela’s research is part of a collaboration with the Juarez University of the State of Durango (UJED), which maintains a national network of permanent forest monitoring plots. Her study sites span ten plots along an altitudinal gradient from approximately 680 m above sea level in the Southern Mixtec Region to over 3,200 m in the Northern Mountains of Oaxaca. This gradient captures transitions from subtropical pine–oak systems to cloud forests and high-elevation temperate forests, allowing for the study of forest structure and functioning across contrasting environmental conditions.

Using a functional ecology approach, Daniela examines how measurable plant traits such as leaf area, specific leaf area, wood density, and nutrient content vary with elevation, climate, and soil properties. Fieldwork involved collecting leaf, wood, and soil samples from dominant tree species at each site. These traits are analysed in relation to environmental variables including temperature, precipitation, vapour pressure deficit, and soil characteristics, with the aim of quantifying patterns of functional diversity and functional redundancy across the gradient

The next stage of the project involves integrating trait, climate, and soil data to assess how functional diversity and redundancy change with elevation. These analyses are intended to help identify which forest communities may be more sensitive or more resilient to future climatic shifts. By linking plant traits to environmental conditions, Daniela’s research contributes to understanding forest functioning and its relevance for conservation planning, restoration strategies, and long-term forest management. During her time in the BioEO Lab, she is contributing to ongoing work on biodiversity patterns across environmental gradients and strengthening research links between institutions in Mexico and the UK.

Daniela collecting field samples in Oaxaca, Mexico.