By looking at which internal structure of a plant can you tell whether a plant is C3 or C4? Explain.
In C4 plant internal structure of the leaf possess a special type of anatomy called ‘Kranz’ anatomy. ‘Kranz’ means ‘wreath’ and is a reflection of the arrangement of cells. The bundle sheath cells may form several layers around the vascular bundles; they are characterised by having large number of chloroplasts, thick walls impervious to gaseous exchange and no intercellular spaces. While in C3 plants, there is no special type of leaf anatomy. There is only a single type of chloroplast inC3 i.e. granal, while in C4 chloroplasts are dimorphic, i.e, granite in the mesophyll cells and agranal in the bundle sheath cells.
