The presence of which atom makes the given functional group easy to oxidise?
Hydrogen
The presence of that hydrogen atom makes aldehydes very easy to oxidise. In aldehydes, the carbonyl group has a hydrogen atom attached to it together with either a second hydrogen atom or, a hydrocarbon group which might be an alkyl group or one containing a benzene ring.
An aldehyde differs from a ketone by having a hydrogen atom attached to the carbonyl group which makes the aldehydes very easy to oxidise. Aldehydes easily oxidise to either -oic or -oate forms.