Biological process

cellular response to hypoxic stress, cellular response to lowered oxygen tension

Any process that results in a change in state or activity of a cell (in terms of movement, secretion, enzyme production, gene expression, etc.) as a result of a stimulus indicating lowered oxygen tension. Hypoxia, defined as a decline in O2 levels below normoxic levels of 20.8 - 20.95%, results in metabolic adaptation at both the cellular and organismal level.

Note that this term should not be confused with 'cellular response to anoxia ; GO:0071454'. Note that in laboratory studies, hypoxia is typically studied at O2 concentrations ranging from 0.1 - 5%.