Evolution of adaptation mechanisms: adaptation energy, stress, and oscillating death

TL;DR

This paper explores the concept of adaptation energy as a fundamental, non-specific resource in physiological adaptation, models its dynamics, and predicts phenomena like oscillating death, emphasizing the role of natural selection in adaptation mechanisms.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical framework linking Selye's adaptation energy to dynamical models and introduces new predictions such as oscillating death and optimal resource distribution strategies.

Findings

Adaptation energy can be modeled as an internal coordinate in adaptation dynamics.

Oscillating death and remission phenomena are predicted by the models.

Natural selection influences the evolution of adaptation mechanisms.

Abstract

In 1938, H. Selye proposed the notion of adaptation energy and published "Experimental evidence supporting the conception of adaptation energy". Adaptation of an animal to different factors appears as the spending of one resource. Adaptation energy is a hypothetical extensive quantity spent for adaptation. This term causes much debate when one takes it literally, as a physical quantity, i.e. a sort of energy. The controversial points of view impede the systematic use of the notion of adaptation energy despite experimental evidence. Nevertheless, the response to many harmful factors often has general non-specific form and we suggest that the mechanisms of physiological adaptation admit a very general and nonspecific description. We aim to demonstrate that Selye's adaptation energy is the cornerstone of the top-down approach to modelling of non-specific adaptation processes. We analyse Selye's axioms of adaptation energy together with Goldstone's modifications and propose a series of models for interpretation of these axioms. {\em Adaptation energy is considered as an internal coordinate on the `dominant path' in the model of adaptation}. The phenomena of `oscillating death' and `oscillating remission' are predicted on the base of the dynamical models of adaptation. Natural selection plays a key role in the evolution of mechanisms of physiological adaptation. We use the fitness optimization approach to study of the distribution of resources for neutralization of harmful factors, during adaptation to a multifactor environment, and analyse the optimal strategies for different systems of factors.