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Around 95% of plants use C3 photosynthesis, in which mesophyll cells -- green spongy cells that live inside leaves -- turn light, water, and carbon dioxide into plant-powering sugars.

C4 plants recruit bundle sheath cells, which normally serve as leaf vein support, to photosynthesize alongside mesophyll cells.

While previous methods were too imprecise to distinguish neighboring cells like mesophyll and bundle sheath cells, single-cell genomics allowed the team to investigate the genetic and structural changes in each cell type from both plants.

The sensors can enter leaves through pores called stomata and take up residence in the mesophyll -- the layer where most photosynthesis takes place.

In C3 plants, reactive oxygen species from O3 degradation can damage the mesophyll cells where photosynthesis occurs.