Ability of forest trees and vegetation as terrestrial carbon sink to absorb CO2 emission and mitigate climate change has attracted wide attention in recent years. A popular conceptual model asserts that shade tolerance is characterized by morphological and physiological traits that enhance the net rate of carbon capture in low light. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of light availability on carbon stock and morphological and physiological traits in tree seedlings. Data were placed into two successional stages (early and late) and four light (100%, 70%, 50% and 15% of full sunlight) categories. Results of present study demonstrate that seedlings of late successional species can tolerate shade better than the early successional species as indicated by greater biomass and carbon stock, particularly in low light condition. The morphologies of late successional species differ from those of early successional species. For, late successional species had lower leaf mass ratio (LMR), stem mass ratio (SMR) and higher root mass ratio (RMR) and root : shoot ratio(R: S) than the early successional species. The higher carbon stock (0.876 to 4.760 g seedling-1) in late successional species as compared to early successional species (0.424-0.525 g seedling-1) can realized carbon balance advantages in low light condition despite their lower leaf area ratio. However, long-term study is required to understand the role of seedlings in mitigation of CO₂ rise in the atmosphere.

Keyword:Biomass, carbon, leaf mass ratio, stem mass ratio, root: shoot ratio

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