Extending Grime’s CSR model to predict plant demographic responses across resource availability gradients: evidence from the Patagonian steppes

Sexual reproduction, growth, and survival are crucial demographic strategies for plant population viability. Here, we propose a conceptual model predicting demographic responses of species based on their ecological strategy and the heterogeneity of environmental conditions within a biogeographical unit and then applied it to a case study from a 5-degree latitudinal gradient in the Patagonian steppes. We also aim to disentangle genetic from environmental effects on demographic responses. We performed in-situ and common garden experiments with two species from six local populations of the Occidental Phytogeographical District of the Patagonian steppes. Species differ in key ecological traits, and thus fit into Grime´s model for evolutionary strategies in plants: one as competitive species and the other as stress-tolerant species. We calculated population growth rate (λ) and performed elasticity analyses to compare the contribution of each demographic strategy to population fitness between..., , , # Nasta et al., 2024 - Extending Grime’s CSR model to predict plant demographic responses across resource availability gradients: evidence from the Patagonian steppes (Oikos)

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.wpzgmsbw7](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.wpzgmsbw7)

We have submitted our raw data for the in situ experiment (**in_situ.xlsx**) and for the common garden experiment (**common_garden.xlsx**). We also have submitted the elasticity values resulting from the population analysis described in the methods of the paper (**elasticity.csv**), and the R script to reproduce the statistical analyses (**bromus_poa_script.R**)

## Description of the data and file structure

**File: in_situ.xlxs**

*Sheet: Year_1*

Contains the raw data corresponding to year 1, referred to as the wet year in the paper.

* Site: the name of the original site of the populations, referred to as habitat in Table 1 of the paper
* Species: currently valid scientific name of the studied grass species
* 2005: stage ...