Dr. Rudan Xu

C3, C4, and C3-C4 intermediate species represent distinct photosynthetic types, differing in leaf anatomy, metabolite transport, and enzyme activity. These differences are associated with variation in carbon fixation efficiency and photorespiration rates across the three types. In this project, we aim to model these interacting processes by developing a multiscale model that couples leaf anatomy, light propagation, reaction-diffusion processes, and constraint-based metabolic modeling. The framework will allow us to test alternative configurations and identify combinations of anatomical and biochemical traits that lead to high photosynthetic performance while remaining robust across diverse environments.