Plant metabolism under hypoxia and anoxia

Improved control of oxygen contamination has led to the clarification of several aspects of anaerobic metabolism in plants, which now appears less diverse than it did 10 years ago. Although pathways other than ethanol fermentation exist, they remain quantitatively minor. Here, a critical update of plant anaerobic metabolism is given. Recent studies in plant sensitivity to and acclimation by hypoxia, as well as molecular mechanisms of plant response to anoxia, are discussed in relation with our present understanding of anaerobic metabolism in plants