Temperate Forest Diversity and Biomass Across Latitude and Altitude Gradients in Mexico

Data from an analysis of diversity, structure and biomass in temperate forests along geographic gradients in the Nazas River Basin, Mexico. Gabriel Graciano-Ávila collected data from 45 sampling plots across three latitudinal and three altitudinal gradients, recording 37 tree species. The dataset includes measurements of tree diameter, height, species identity, and derived metrics like alpha diversity indices and aboveground biomass.

Use Cases

• Modeling aboveground biomass accumulation based on altitude and tree species composition.
• Analyzing tree species diversity patterns across latitudinal and altitudinal gradients.
• Studying the relationship between tree size (diameter, height) and the interaction of latitude and altitude.
• Comparing forest community similarity using beta diversity indices like Bray-Curtis.

Strengths

• Data is structured from 45 systematically distributed sampling plots of 2500 m² each.
• Includes derived ecological indices such as species richness, Margalef, Shannon, and Bray-Curtis.
• Records 37 identified tree species with measurements for diameter, height, and calculated biomass.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific study area in the Nazas River Basin.

Provenance

Source

Gabriel Graciano-Ávila via figshare.

Collection Method

Field census of all trees with DBH ≥ 7.5 cm across 45 plots, with data analyzed using ANOVA and aligned rank transform.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 20:50:34; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Upper Nazas River basin, Mexico, across specific latitudinal gradients and altitudinal ranges (2100–3000 m a.s.l.).