ABSTRACT
Glycolysis, the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and the mitochondrial electron transport chain are the main components of plant respiration. In plants, it is of crucial importance in that it is the major pathway that fuels respiration. Plant glycolysis is unique in having dual locations in the cytosol and the plastids. While the role of the alternative oxidase in thermogenesis has been recognized for some time, it is only recently that we have begun to understand what its wider physiological function might be in non-thermogenic higher plants. In relation to glycolysis regulation, an emerging research area that is likely to alter our understanding of plant respiration is the identification of supercomplexes. Plant respiration serves both a bioenergetic and a biosynthetic function. In conclusion, what marks plant respiration out from that of other organisms is its flexible and versatile nature, as might be expected of autotrophic, sessile organisms that inhabit fluctuating and often unpredictable environments.
