C4 plants occur more commonly in desert conditions because they do not have to keep their stomata open as long. C4 plants use their four-carbon sugar to store more carbon dioxide when the stomata are open at night. Then photosynthesis can happen during the daytime as usual, but the plants are able to keep their stomata closed against the dry heat. This prevents excess water from being lost, and allows the plant to live in extremely dry, hot conditions. In addition, C4 plants need more energy to complete the cellular respiration process, so they are better suited for climates with a lot of sunlight.
