NOVELTY - Making ethanol and other chemicals comprises: (a) inoculating a pretreated biomass-derived material comprising a plant polysaccharide with a first culture comprising a cellulolytic aerobic microorganism to generate an aerobic broth; (b) incubating the aerobic broth to convert the aerobic broth into an anaerobic broth; (c) inoculating the anaerobic broth with a second culture comprising an anaerobic microorganism; and (d) fermenting the inoculated anaerobic broth until a portion of fermentable sugars have been converted into ethanol and other chemicals.    USE - The methods are useful for making ethanol and other chemicals, making a material suitable as a fuel, and producing a biofuel (all claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The methods provide bioconversion processes that take advantage of more versatile microorganisms and/or combinations of microorganisms that saccharify complex polysaccharides and more efficiently convert a broader spectrum of fermentable sugars into fuels and other chemicals.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Making ethanol and other chemicals comprises: (a) providing a pretreated biomass-derived material comprising a plant polysaccharide; (b) inoculating the pretreated biomass-derived material with a first culture comprising a cellulolytic aerobic microorganism in the presence of oxygen to generate an aerobic broth, where the aerobic microorganism is capable of at least partially hydrolyzing the plant polysaccharide; (c) incubating the aerobic broth until the cellulolytic aerobic microorganism consumes at least a portion of the oxygen and hydrolyzes at least a portion of the plant polysaccharide, thus converting the aerobic broth into an anaerobic broth comprising a hydrolysate comprising fermentable sugars; (d) inoculating the anaerobic broth with a second culture comprising an anaerobic microorganism capable of converting fermentable sugars into ethanol and other chemicals; and (e) fermenting the inoculated anaerobic broth until at least a portion of the fermentable sugars have been converted into ethanol and other chemicals. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are:    (1) a process for making a material suitable as a fuel comprising: (a) providing a plant-derived material comprising a polysaccharide; (b) inoculating the plant-derived material with a first culture comprising a cellulolytic aerobic microorganism to generate a broth, where the aerobic microorganism is capable of at least partially hydrolyzing the polysaccharide; (c) incubating the broth in the presence of oxygen so that at least a portion of the polysaccharide is hydrolyzed to one or more sugar species; (d) incubating the broth under conditions to reduce the oxygen concentration to convert the broth to an anaerobic broth; (e) inoculating the anaerobic broth with a second culture comprising an anaerobic microorganism capable of converting the sugar species into a material suitable as a fuel; and (f) fermenting the inoculated anaerobic broth to produce a material suitable as a fuel; and    (2) a method of producing a biofuel comprising: (a) providing a biomass material under anaerobic conditions in a closed container, where the biomass has not been treated with exogenously supplied chemicals or enzymes; (b) treating the biomass with a first culture of a non-genetically modified anaerobic bacterium, where the non-genetically modified anaerobic bacterium converts at least a portion of the biomass into monosaccharides and disaccharides; and (c) treating the biomass with a second culture of a microorganism that is not an obligate aerobe, where the monosaccharides and disaccharides are converted to a biofuel.