C4 photosynthesis, trait spectra, and the fast-efficient phenotype

It has been 60 years since the discovery of C₄ photosynthesis, an event that rewrote our understanding of plant adaptation, ecosystem responses to global change, and global food security. Despite six decades of research, one aspect of C₄ photosynthesis that remains poorly understood is how the pathway fits into the broader context of adaptive trait spectra, which form our modern view of functional trait ecology. The C₄ CO₂-concentrating mechanism supports a general C₄ plant phenotype capable of fast growth and high resource-use efficiencies. The fast-efficient C₄ phenotype has the potential to operate at high productivity rates, while allowing for less biomass allocation to root production and nutrient acquisition, thereby providing opportunities for the evolution of novel trait covariances and the exploitation of new ecological niches. We propose the placement of the C₄ fast-efficient phenotype near the acquisitive pole of the world-wide leaf economic spectrum, but with a pathway-specific span of trait space, wherein selection shapes both acquisitive and conservative adaptive strategies. A trait-based perspective of C₄ photosynthesis will open new paths to crop improvement, global biogeochemical modeling, the management of invasive species, and the restoration of disturbed ecosystems, particularly in grasslands.