Mapping CO₂ fixation to two effective parameters: A framework toward data-informed species and model comparison

To improve crop yield and resilience, it is essential to identify the steps limiting [Formula: see text] assimilation rate in plant leaves. The combined effect of multiple traits can be resolved by mechanistic models of the underlying diffusion, biochemistry, and geometry. Yet the widely used simple serial resistance models overlook tissue geometry, and detailed anatomical models are computationally heavy and rely on parameters that are difficult to measure. Here, we develop a framework for systematic species and model comparison, and find that the necessary level of model resolution is species-specific. We apply a minimal reaction-diffusion model and reduce [Formula: see text] fixation in leaves to two key parameters. These parameters comprise a compact phase space in which three rate-limiting regimes emerge naturally: stomatal uptake, intercellular diffusion, and intracellular processes. Mapping diverse plant species into this phase space reveals: 1) dominant colimitations by stomatal and intracellular processes, 2) an equal partition between species that require spatially resolved leaf-scale models and species where intracellular models suffice. Taken together, we present a scalable path for interpreting complex trait data and bridging between models.