Questions and Ideas for Discussions

Calculate the photosynthetic rates of the above crops.  Which are C4 plants? Why do C4 plants growing in different regions have different photosynthetic efficiencies?
Engineer the plants you would take with you, if you were going on a space mission to Mars and were required to produce viable crops. (Assume water is not a problem).
If C4 plants are so efficient, why aren't all plants C4?
Why are two types of cells required for C4 photosynthesis?
Describe other ways in which a plant may separate processes that cannot occur in the same location.
If you were a paleobotanist and were examining plants from the glacial and interglacial periods – when would you expect  more C4 plants to have occurred?  Would you have found C4 plants in areas with little oxygen?
Devise an experiment simulating the C4 pathway in the two types of cells.
How would the increased global temperatures influence C4 and C3 plants in a dry region versus a rainy region?
If global atmospheric oxygen was depleted, and average global temperature would be maintained at 20°C, would planting C4 versus C3 crops help increase oxygen levels?  What would happen if temperatures were 35°C.  What other factors need to be taken into account.
If man did not intervene in the above scenario, which plants do you expect would be better adapted for low oxygen concentrations?