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Respiration
Respiration is the biochemical process by which oxygen and carbohydrates, or sugars, are assimilated in the plant.
The sugars produced by the plant during photosynthesis are incorporated into the growing plant at this
time. The process of respiration requires oxygen to act as an electron acceptor in the energy-producing processes. This is known as aerobic respiration. Without the presence of oxygen, anaerobic respiration occurs. In many plants, anaerobic respiration takes the form of ethanol fermentation. This can lead to the accumulation of ethanol reaching toxic levels.
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