# Drivers of soil biophysical processes along an elevational gradient at Pico de Orizaba volcano, Mexico

Guillermo Angeles, Marycruz Álvarez-Jiménez, Fabien Anthelme, Isabelle Barois, José Luis Chaparro Carrillo, Nereyda Cruz-Maldonado, Thibaud Decaëns, Martin de los Santos-Bailon, Stéphane Courtier, Emmanuel Garcia-Gutierrez, et al.

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Guillermo Angeles, Marycruz Álvarez-Jiménez, Fabien Anthelme, Isabelle Barois, José Luis Chaparro Carrillo, et al. Drivers of soil biophysical processes along an elevational gradient at Pico de Orizaba volcano, Mexico. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience, 2023, 4, 10.1186/s43170-023-00146-6. hal-04050438

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# Drivers of soil biophysical processes along an elevational gradient at Pico de Orizaba volcano, Mexico

Guillermo Angeles¹*, Marycruz Álvarez-Jiménez¹, Fabien Anthelme², Isabelle Barois¹, José Luis Chaparro Carrillo³, Nereyda Cruz-Maldonado², Thibaud Decaens⁴, Martín de los Santos-Bailón⁵, Stéphane Fourtier², Emmanuel García-Gutiérrez⁶, David García-Segura⁷, Rodrigo Gómez-Aguilar⁸, Antonio Gómez-Anaya⁵, Eduardo Hernández⁸, Daniel Hernández-Cáceres², Leonor Jiménez¹, Beatriz E. Marín-Castro⁹,¹⁰, Luis Merino-Martín¹¹, Marco A. Morales-Martínez¹³, Edwin U. Monfil-León¹², René A. Palestina¹⁴, Carlos Pimentel-Reyes¹, Ricardo Quiroz Reyes¹⁵, Frédérique Reverchon¹⁶, Hervé Rey², Catherine Roumet⁴, Christina D. Siebe-Grabach⁹, Katrin Sieron¹³, Víctor Vázques Reyes¹, Monique Weemstra²,⁴ and Alexia Stokes²

## Abstract

Elevational gradients are characterized by major shifts in environmental conditions, reflected through changes in climatic and soil variables. These shifts strongly impact the composition, community structure and specific functional traits of vegetation. Vegetation, in turn, influences soil properties through litter input, root growth and the release of root exudates, thereby influencing soil microbial and faunal communities. Here, we report and briefly describe data of soil and underlying bedrock physical and chemical properties, climatic variables, plant community composition and species abundance, soil microbial diversity and macro and mesofaunal abundance and diversity. Data are provided for 6 elevations (3400–4600 m) ranging from pine forest to alpine prairie. We focused on soil biophysical properties beneath several keystone or community-structuring plant species with different growth forms: (1) tree (*Pinus hartwegii* Lindl.); shrub (*Oxylobus arbutifolius* (Kunth) A. Gray and *Chionolaena lavandulifolia* (Kunth ex Kunth) Benth. & Hook.f. ex B.D.Jacks.); and (3) herb (*Lupinus montanus* Kunth and *Senecio roseus* Sch.Bip.). These data are useful for understanding how shifts in abiotic conditions and vegetation communities along an elevational gradient affect soil ecosystem services such as water infiltration, soil aggregation and carbon (C) storage, and modify soil biodiversity. The collected data also provide useful information to understand how alpine vegetation, soil macro- and meso-fauna, and soil bacterial communities may shift under a climate change scenario.

**Keywords** Elevational gradient, Bulk soil and rhizosphere microbial communities, Carbon storage, High mountain ecosystem, Soil biodiversity, Soil hydrophysical properties, Soil macro and meso-fauna, Soil structure and soil moisture monitoring

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© The Author(s) 2023. **Open Access** This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

<footnote>*Correspondence:
Guillermo Angeles
guillermo.angeles@inecol.mx
Full list of author information is available at the end of the article</footnote>
<table><caption>**Table 1** Overview of data files/data sets. Pico de Oizaba, Mexico</caption><thead><tr><td>Label</td><td>Name of data file/dta set</td><td>File type (file extension)</td><td>Data repository and identifier (DOI)</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Data file 1</td><td>Plots and map</td><td>MS Excel file (.xlsx)</td><td>10.6084/<br>m9.fishshare.22057106 https://figsh<br>are.com/s/d474da60e15dbb937251</td></tr><tr><td>Data file 2</td><td>Soil profile</td><td>MS Excel file (.xlsx)</td><td>10.6084/<br>m9.fishshare.22097993 https://figsh<br>are.com/s/4e917b031648148a7f87</td></tr><tr><td>Data file 3</td><td>Plot climate interpolated base</td><td>MS Excel file (.xlsx)</td><td>10.6084/<br>m9.fishshare.22057175 https://figsh<br>are.com/s/369a80465b62cfa15249</td></tr><tr><td>Data file 4</td><td>Soil moisture monitoring station</td><td>MS Excel file (.xlsx)</td><td>10.6084/m9.fishshare.22102379 https://<br>figshare.com/s/e9c605c45cea45b<br>3a669</td></tr><tr><td>Data file 5</td><td>Floristic list</td><td>MS Excel file (.xlsx)</td><td>10.6084/m9.fishshare.22010852 https://<br>figshare.com/s/f64079ca0a9bf3c<br>eebe7</td></tr><tr><td>Data file 6</td><td>Infiltration and field saturated hydraulic conductivity</td><td>MS Excel file (.xlsx)</td><td>10.6084/<br>m9.fishshare.22093580 https://figsh<br>are.com/s/f64079ca0a9bf3ceebe7</td></tr><tr><td>Data file 7</td><td>Monolith aggregate stability</td><td>MS Excel file (.xlsx)</td><td>10.6084/<br>m9.fishshare.22010849 https://figsh<br>are.com/s/ce7b2dcf96a58b848fdf</td></tr><tr><td>Data file 8</td><td>Monolith earthworms</td><td>MS Excel file (.xlsx)</td><td>10.6084/<br>m9.fishshare.22057160 https://figsh<br>are.com/s/629b3fcaafcd994bb5e5</td></tr><tr><td>Data file 9</td><td>Monolith soil analysis</td><td>MS Excel file (.xlsx)</td><td>10.6084/<br>m9.fishshare.22010846 https://figsh<br>are.com/s/dd175f66a054808a8c2b</td></tr><tr><td>Data file 10</td><td>Monolith vegetation</td><td>MS Excel file (.xlsx)</td><td>10.6084/m9.fishshare.22105787 https://<br>figshare.com/s/b15659ca007b508<br>31440</td></tr><tr><td>Data file 11</td><td>Bulk soil and rhizosphere 16S amplicon sequences</td><td>MS Excel file (.xlsx)</td><td>10.6084/<br>m9.fishshare.22062104 https://figsh<br>are.com/s/4b0a2ae602909390c1b7</td></tr><tr><td>Data file 12</td><td>Monolith macrofauna</td><td>MS Excel file (.xlsx)</td><td>10.6084/m9.fishshare.22065185 https://<br>figshare.com/s/ea9cbf6b1d8708e<br>a8674</td></tr><tr><td>Data file 13</td><td>Soil mesofauna</td><td>MS Excel file (.xlsx)</td><td>10.6084/<br>m9.fishshare.22065302 https://figsh<br>are.com/s/c9f291f23d0cf4b8cc2d</td></tr></tbody></table>

**Background**

Elevational gradients and the associated biotic and abiotic changes provide useful frameworks to elucidate the drivers behind species distribution and their response to climate change (Cruz-Maldonado et al. 2021; Fukami and Wardle 2005; McCain and Grytnes 2010). Environmental factors such as temperature, radiation, and precipitation shift with altitude and strongly influence soil biophysical properties, including soil structure and moisture. Plant communities also change along altitudinal gradients, further modifying soil properties through litter and root carbon (C) inputs, thereby affecting soil biodiversity. Here, we collected belowground and aboveground

data to elucidate the mechanisms through which altitude and the associated shifts in climate and vegetation affect soil properties and ecosystem processes, at different elevations.

The ecosystem services provided by (sub)alpine soils, e.g., C sequestration, nutrient cycling, and water retention, are threatened by a changing climate and land use conversion, as high mountains are particularly fragile ecosystems (Mountain Research Initiative 2015). These ecosystem services depend on soil physicochemical properties, its biodiversity, as well as on plant species composition and community structure. Therefore, our dataset includes data on soil porosity and aggregate stability at
different soil depths and altitudinal levels and measure-
ments of soil water infiltration and retention, which will
allow a better understanding of the water flow dynamics
along this Neotropical altitudinal gradient. We also col-
lected data on soil macro- and meso-fauna diversity, as
well as on microbial communities at the bulk soil and
rhizosphere level, thus allowing researchers to explore
the biotic and abiotic drivers behind soil biodiversity,
which is key in mediating soil biophysical processes (Col-
lins et al. 2020; Hernández-Cáceres et al. 2022). This
dataset complements the already published data from
our twin study in France (Stokes et al. 2021) and repre-
sents the largest freely available collection of data on
plant traits, soil physicochemical variables and soil biodi-
versity along a 1200 m elevational gradient in a Neotropi-
cal climate. Methods for data collection and analysis are
provided in the data files and supplementary materials
(Table 1).

Objectives

Our objective was to determine how changes in environ-
mental conditions with altitude affect edaphic properties,
vegetation, and soil microbial and faunal communities,
by collecting data along a 1200 m long gradient between
3400 and 4600 m.a.s.l. on the North-East flank of the
highest mountain of Mexico, Pico de Orizaba volcano.
A twin study with the same objective was carried out at
Massif de Belledonne, in the French Alps.

Methods

Data file 1 shows an aerial map of the whole protected
area named "Área Natural Protegida Pico de Orizaba
(ANPPO)", within which our study sites are located.
Data file 1 also provides the names and numbers of each
plot, with their respective coordinates and elevations.
The studied elevational gradient lies on the North-East
flank of Pico de Orizaba, the highest peak of Mexico. We
hereby present data collected in 2017 and 2018, at six
altitudes (elevational bands of 200 m each) along an ele-
vational gradient ranging from 3400 to 4600 m.a.s.l. and
from 3400 to 4400 m.a.s.l. for soil profile and soil moist-
ture (Data files 2 and 4, respectively), at Pico de Orizaba
volcano, Mexico. Climatic data (Data file 3) are also pro-
vided and were measured over 2 years (2018–2020).

The underlying bedrock is composed of intermediate
to acid lavas and pyroclastic (volcaniclastic) material. Soil
profiles were described for each altitudinal level (two soil
profiles made per altitudinal band). Soil physico-chemi-
cal properties were analyzed from each identified soil
horizon. The main soil units correspond to Endosilandic
Andosols at Sleketic Regosol. The volumetric and tension

soil moisture, as well as the soil surface temperature were
monitored for one year, in six soil profiles distributed
along the altitudinal gradient (Data file 4).

To obtain the floristic list of our study site, five
20 × 20 m plots were established at each altitude (every
200 m along our 1000 m long elevational gradient) up to
4000 m of elevation, to include keystone and community-
structuring species with different growth forms: *Pinus
hartwegii* (tree), *Oxylobus arbutifolius* and *Chionolaena
lavandulifolia* (shrubs), and *Lupinus montanus* and *Sene-
cio roseus* (herbs). From 4200 m.a.s.l. and above, the dis-
tance between our plots had to be reduced to 5 m for
space availability reasons (mountain tapering). A botani-
cal survey was performed inside each plot (Data file 5)
and one adult individual of each structuring species was
selected per plot. At the limit of the individual's canopy
on the downslope side, infiltration tests were performed
to estimate water flow through soil and hydraulic con-
ductivity of the quasi-steady phase was calculated (Data
file 6). Aggregate stability measurements were made
from soil blocks (10 × 10 × 15 cm depth) taken beside
the monoliths (Data file 7). An earthworm survey was
made on soil monoliths of 0.25 × 0. 25 × 0.15 m in the
field to link the abundance of these ecosystem engineers
with soil processes (Data file 8). To investigate the rela-
tionships between soil biophysical properties and veg-
etation, plant community composition was described in
a 1 m² subplot within each plot, which was established
near each structuring species (Data file 10). Soil texture,
bulk and real density, cationic exchange capacity, pH,
electric conductivity, organic C, nitrogen (N) content,
nitrate and ammonium concentrations, total and avail-
able phosphorus (P), and macronutrients (Ca, Mg, K, Na)
concentrations were determined on pooled soil samples
harvested within each monolith (Data file 9). A soil mon-
olith (0.25 m × 0.25 m × 0.15 m depth) was excavated
within each subplot (n=83). Above the monolith, litter
layer thickness and aboveground biomass per species
were measured (Data file 10). Soil samples were collected
from the monolith and from rhizospheric soil attached
to fine roots of the three structuring plant species. DNA
was extracted from these soil samples and 16S rDNA
amplicon sequences were obtained to determine the
changes in bacterial communities at the bulk soil and at
the rhizosphere level along the elevational gradient (Data
file 11). Soil mesofauna was collected beside each mon-
olith from litter and soil with a cylinder (5 cm diameter
and 10 cm high) and then extracted with a Berlese fun-
nel in the laboratory. All the organisms were kept in 70%
alcohol and identified at order taxonomical level, except
for Collembola for which identification was made at the
family level (Data file 12). Soil macroinvertebrates were hand-sorted from each monolith and fixed in 70% ethanol, except earthworms, which were fixed in 96% ethanol for the DNA barcoding. Macroinvertebrates were identified at the order level, except for earthworms for which morphological diagnoses were combined with DNA bar-coding to obtain species level assignations. Invertebrates within each taxon were counted and weighed (Data file 13).

## Limitations

Although this dataset comprises a large number of field and laboratory data collected from 83 monoliths in 30 plots, it was not always possible to include all structuring species within the same plot. At higher altitudinal levels (4000–4400 m.a.s.l.), additional shrub and herbaceous species were sometimes included (S. roseus and C. lavandulifolia) to complement the data when L. montanus and O. arbutifolius were not present. Moreover, our focus on some keystone/structuring plant species does not allow generalization of rhizosphere processes under other species. Finally, our datasets do not provide information on plant functional traits nor on soil microbial functional diversity (i.e., enzymatic activities or microbial gene transcripts), the latter being a key factor to understand soil functioning as microorganisms are main contributors to soil biophysical processes.

## Conclusion

Our data allow researchers to elucidate the changes in soil ecosystem services and their link with soil biodiversity along an altitudinal gradient in the Neotropical region, where high mountain ecosystems have been poorly studied. Under a climate change context, these data are particularly useful to improve our predictions of possible shifts in vegetation and soil organisms.

### Abbreviation

m Meters above sea level

### Author contributions

All authors contributed to data collection and writing of the paper. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

### Funding

Funding was provided by the French and Mexican governments (ECOPICS project, ANR-16-CE03-0009 and CONACYT-2 73659).

### Availability of data and materials

The data described in this Data note can be freely and openly accessed on https://figshare.com/. Please see Table 1 for details and links to the data.

## Declarations

### Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

### Consent for publication

Not applicable.

### Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

### Author details

¹Red de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. ²AMAP, Univ Montpellier, INRAE, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, 34000 Montpellier, France. ³Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico. ⁴CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France. ⁵Red de Biodiversidad y Sistemática, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. ⁶Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico.

⁷Biorefinery Group, Food Research Department, School of Chemistry, Autonomous University of Coahuila, Saltillo, Coahuila México, Mexico. ⁸Facultad de Ciencias Agrícolas, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, México. ⁹Laboratorio de Edafología Ambiental, Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico, Mexico City. ¹⁰Laboratorio de análisis químicos de suelo, agua y plantas, Secretaría Técnica, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, México.

¹¹Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química inorgánica, ESCET, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, Móstoles, C.P. 28933 Madrid, Spain.

¹²Maestría en Gestión de Riesgos y Cambio Climático, Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico. ¹³Centro de Ciencias de La Tierra, Universidad Veracruzana, 91090 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. ¹⁴Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología Aplicada (INBIOTECA), Campus para la Cultura, las Artes y el Deporte, Xalapa, México. ¹⁵Independent profesional, Doylestown, USA. ¹⁶Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados, Centro Regional del Bajío, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico.

Received: 31 October 2022 Accepted: 27 February 2023

Published online: 13 March 2023

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