Halophytic succulence is a driver of the leaf non-structural carbohydrate contents in plants in the arid and hyper-arid deserts of northwestern China

Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), primarily sugars and starch, play a crucial role in plant metabolic processes and a plant's ability to tolerate and recover from drought stress. Despite their importance, our understanding of NSC characteristics in the leaves of plants that thrive in hyper-arid and saline environments remains limited.