Until recent years the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was generally considered to be a harmful process and a generator of oxidative stress. But more recently this concept has been re-evaluated and the term "oxidative signaling" was coined (Foyer and Noctor, 2005). This means that ROS generation is also an important component of the signaling network of plants. Results obtained during the last decade have highlighted that ROS are key regulators of plant metabolism, morphology and development which are also used by plants to respond to environmental challenges. The role of ROS as signals for gene expression has been established, and ROS also modulate the activity of key signaling compounds such as MAP kinases. The volume of research into the roles of ROS in plants is currently growing and the purpose of this book is to present recent advances in this field. The constitutive chapters are arranged around four main topics:

"Until recent years the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was generally considered to be a harmful process and a generator of oxidative stress. But more recently this concept has been re-evaluated and the term "oxidative signaling" was coined (Foyer and Noctor, 2005). This means that ROS generation is also an important component of the signaling network of plants. Results obtained during the last decade have highlighted that ROS are key regulators of plant metabolism, morphology and development which are also used by plants to respond to environmental challenges. The role of ROS as signals for gene expression has been established, and ROS also modulate the activity of key signaling compounds such as MAP kinases. The volume of research into the roles of ROS in plants is currently growing and the purpose of this book is to present recent advances in this field."

Reactive Oxygen-Generating NADPH Oxidases in Plants.- Integration of ROS and Hormone Signaling.- Reactive Oxygen Species in Growth and Development.- ROS Signalling in Stomata.- Reactive Oxygen Species in Plant Cell Walls.- Peroxisomes as a Cellular Source of ROS Signal Molecules.- Reactive Oxygen Species in Plant-Pathogen Interactions.- ROS in the Legume-Rhizobium Symbiosis.- Hydrogen Peroxide-Responsive Genes in Stress Acclimation and Cell Death.- The ROS Signaling Network of Cells.- Reactive Oxygen Species and Signaling in Cadmium Toxicity.- Reactive Oxygen Species in Ozone Toxicity.- ROS and Plant Membrane Rafts.- ROS in Retrograde Signalling from the Chloroplast to the Nucleus.