Metabolic strategies in hypoxic plants.

Complex multicellular organisms have evolved in an oxygen-enriched atmosphere. Oxygen is therefore essential for all aerobic organisms, including plants, for energy production through cellular respiration. However, plants can experience hypoxia following extreme flooding events and also under aerated conditions in proliferative organs or tissues characterized by high oxygen consumption.

Environmental genome-wide association studies across precipitation regimes reveal that the E3 ubiquitin ligase MBR1 regulates plant adaptation to rainy environments.

In an era characterized by rapidly changing and less-predictable weather conditions fueled by the climate crisis, understanding the mechanisms underlying local adaptation in plants is of paramount importance for the conservation of species. As the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events increase, so are the flooding events resulting from soil water saturation. The subsequent onset of hypoxic stress is one of the leading causes of crop damage and yield loss.