Methods
We conducted a dry-down experiment in the greenhouse to gauge the response of seedlings to seasonal drought. Hence, our experiment represented a scenario where seedlings growing in a limited volume of soil were exposed to sudden drought and results should be interpreted accordingly. Seeds of 16 different tree species (Appendix Table A1) were obtained from two locations, Valparai in southern Western Ghats and Sirsi in northern Western Ghats, representing less and more seasonal climates respectively. Both sites have similar mean annual rainfall but differ in their climatic water deficit (Sirsi: Mean annual precipitation (MAP) = 3425 mm/year, number of dry months: 6, CWD = -826.9 mm/year; Valparai: MAP = 2169.3 mm/year, number of dry months: 4, CWD = -396.51 mm/year, Source: Chave et al. 2014; Fick and Hijmans 2017) that characterizes seasonal drought conditions (Krishnadas et al.2021)⁠.