Dataset on flammability and functional traits of woody plants in a pine-oak forest of western Mexico.

Abstract

Background Plant functional traits provide key information about species' ecological strategies and their responses to environmental disturbances such as fire. This dataset documents 14 morpho-functional traits of leaves (specific leaf area, leaf water content and leaf dry matter content), stems (maximum height, bark thickness, diameter at 40 cm, wood density, stem water content and stem dry matter content), one regenerative trait (resprouting capacity), as well as fire-related traits (ignition time, flaming time and flammability) and growth form in 50 woody plant species (27 trees, 22 shrubs and one liana) inhabiting a pine-oak forest in the "Barranca del Cupatitzio" National Park (BCNP), located in Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico. This dataset is formatted according to the Darwin Core Archive standard and is publicly available for use. New information This dataset is standardised under the Darwin Core framework. It includes 14 morpho-functional and fire-related traits. The data were obtained from 50 woody species with a diameter at breast height (DBH) > 2.5 cm (27 trees, 22 shrubs and one liana), in a pine-oak forest located in the western Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, in the Municipality of Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico. Here, we report flammability-related traits for these species for the first time. The collection of biological material and the measurement of functional traits followed internationally recognised protocols, ensuring methodological consistency and facilitating integration with other global datasets. The dataset includes values for flammability, ignition time, flaming time, specific leaf area, wood density, stem water and dry matter content, bark thickness, leaf water and dry matter content, maximum height, stem diameter at 40 cm above the ground, plant growth form and resprouting capacity. This information is particularly valuable for studies in functional ecology, ecological restoration, the dynamics of woody plant communities and fire management in temperate, fire-prone ecosystems.

Plant phenotyping relevance

植物の形態・機能・火災関連形質を体系的に収集し、Darwin Coreで標準化した再利用可能なデータセットであり、形質測定とデータ提供が中心である。

Code and data availability

The paper is a data paper whose own trait/flammability dataset is deposited publicly on GBIF via DOI 10.15468/46f8xe, explicitly linked as the data package for this study's measurements.