Difference Between C3 and C4 Pathway

The differences between C3 and C4 Pathways are stated below:

C3 Pathway	C4 Pathway
Found in all the plants containing three- carbon compound their first stable compound.	Found in only C4 plants with four-carbon compound as their first stable compound.
Primary carbon dioxide acceptor is a five carbon compound i.e. Ribulose bisphosphate	Primary carbon dioxide acceptor is a three carbon compound i.e. phosphoenol pyruvic acid.
Single carbon fixation occurs.	Double carbon fixation occurs.
Require 3 ATP and 2 NADH	Require 5 ATP and 3 NADH
Carried out by mesophyll cells	Carried out by mesophyll cells and bundle sheath cells.
Oats, Rice, Wheat, sugar beets and spinach are some examples of C3 Pathways.	Sugarcane, sorghum and maize are some examples of C4 pathways.

C3 and C4 Pathways

C3 and C4 are photosynthetic pathways present in terrestrial plants. C3 plants use the C3 pathway or Calvin cycle, and C4 plants use the C4 pathway, or Hatch-Slack pathway, for the dark reaction of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process in which different bacteria like cyanobacteria and eukaryotes like green plants, and algae can convert solar energy to chemical energy. In this process, solar energy is absorbed and used to synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water.

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