Improving the representation of C4 photosynthesis in vegetation models

C4 plants (which have a supercharged version of photosynthesis) make up only 5% of plant species, but account for nearly 25% of the worlds CO2 uptake by plants. C4 plants cover 80-85% of Australia and include our most productive crops (adding $2.5 billion to Australias economy in 2022/23), the grasses that support our $25 billion livestock industry, and fire-prone vegetation that fuels bushfires. Despite their importance for agriculture and the environment, we currently do not accurately capture the biology of C4 plants in the models we rely on to predict ecosystem carbon cycling and plant productivity, due to a lack of key information about how C4 plants function. Our project will deliver better estimates of C4 photosynthesis across diverse environments in models, which will improve: 1) forecasts of C4 crop productivity (economic benefits for agriculture 2) management of C4-dominate