Ecological processes in a hormetic framework - Costantini - 2010 - Ecology Letters - Wiley Online Library

Ecological processes in a hormetic framework - Costantini - 2010 - Ecology Letters - Wiley Online Library: "some non-essential substances or environmental stressors can have stimulatory or beneficial effects at low exposure levels while being toxic at higher levels, and that environmental ‘priming’ of certain physiological processes can result in their improved functioning in later life. These kinds of nonlinear dose–response relationships are referred to as hormetic responses and have been described across a wide range of organisms (from bacteria to vertebrates), in response to exposure to at least 1000 different chemical and environmental stressors. Although most work in this area has been in the fields of toxicology and human health, the concept of hormesis also has general applicability in ecology and evolutionary biology as it provides an important conceptual link between environmental conditions and organism function"