Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Monitoring Plant Hormones During Stress Responses
Published on: June 15, 2009
Biological stress response terminology: Integrating the concepts of adaptive response and preconditioning stress
Edward J Calabrese1, Kenneth A Bachmann, A John Bailer
1School of Public Health, Morrill I, N344, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. edwardc@schoolph.umass.edu
Abstract:
Many biological subdisciplines that regularly assess dose-response relationships have identified an evolutionarily conserved process in which a low dose of a stressful stimulus activates an adaptive response that increases the resistance of the cell or organism to a moderate to severe level of stress. Due to a lack of frequent interaction among scientists in these many areas, there has emerged a broad range of terms that describe such dose-response relationships. This situation has become problematic because the different terms describe a family of similar biological responses (e.g., adaptive response, preconditioning, hormesis), adversely affecting interdisciplinary communication, and possibly even obscuring generalizable features and central biological concepts. With support from scientists in a broad range of disciplines, this article offers a set of recommendations we believe can achieve greater conceptual harmony in dose-response terminology, as well as better understanding and communication across the broad spectrum of biological disciplines.
Related Concept Videos
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle
Physiological Foundation of Stress
Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System
Adrenaline triggers the...
Stress Response System
Alarm stage
In the alarm stage, the body's initial...
Other Stress Responses in Bacteria

