Data from: The adaptive potential of plant populations in response to extreme climate events

The frequency and magnitude of extreme climate events are increasing with
global change, yet we lack predictions and empirical evidence for the
ability of wild populations to persist and adapt in response to these
events. Here, we used Fisher’s Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection to
evaluate the adaptive potential of Lasthenia fremontii, an herbaceous
winter annual that is endemic to seasonally flooded wetlands in
California, to alternative flooding regimes that occur during El Niño
Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. The results indicate that populations
may exhibit greater adaptive potential in response to dry years than wet
years, and that the relative performance of populations will change across
climate scenarios. More generally, our findings show that extreme climate
events can substantially change the potential for populations to adapt to
climate change by modulating the expression of standing genetic variation
and mean fitness.