Does NSC storage increase seedling survival under shade and drought?

Stored nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) may provide a carbon source to enable plants to survive carbon-limiting stresses. For five species of temperate deciduous trees in a greenhouse experiment, seedlings in shade and/ or drought (but not 50% defoliation) ceased growth and NSC accumulation and NSC reserves decreased in some species-treatment combinations. In a separate experiment, species NSC concentrations measured in a greenhouse were correlated with seedling survivorship in dry soils in the field. Our results support that NSC plays a role in seedling tolerance of drought and/or shade and that allocation to NSC could explain species differences in drought survival.