Figure 2.

The upper map shows the study area (located in the northwestern region of extra‐Andean Patagonia, in Río Negro province, Argentina). At each sampling site, we established three plots (dark gray squares). The lower figure shows the detailed spatial sampling design. In each plot, we randomly selected three points and harvested biomass from the four nearest individuals to the point. Sites have different plant physiognomies: W site is an herbaceous steppe and E site is a grass–shrub steppe where M. spinosum and S. filaginoides are the main shrub species