# Novel Perspective of Hormesis in Evolution

## TL;DR

This paper explores how hormesis, a stress-response mechanism, fits into evolutionary biology and how it contributes to adaptation and survival over time.

## Contribution

The paper proposes an updated definition of hormesis as an adaptive process linked to evolutionary mechanisms like variation and plasticity.

## Key findings

- Hormesis is redefined as a nonlinear adaptive process influenced by both stimulus dose and exposure time.
- The paper highlights the role of hormesis in evolutionary processes such as adaptation and phenotypic plasticity.
- It emphasizes the need to integrate hormesis into evolutionary theory to better understand biological responses.

## Abstract

It is necessary to contextualize hormesis within an evolutionary framework that incorporates the advances developed from Neo-Darwinism to contemporary evolutionary biology. The central problem addressed in this review is the lack of a conceptual integration between hormesis and evolutionary processes, which limits our understanding of its role in generating biological changes at different scales. Since hormesis actively contributes to the evolutionary process, we examine its relationship with key components such as adaptation, adaptability, variation, variability, and phenotypic plasticity. This analysis is essential for deepening our understanding of the genetic and phenotypic mechanisms that underline hormetic responses. Consequently, an updated definition of hormesis is proposed as a nonlinear adaptive process that depends not only on stimulus dose but also on exposure time, with particular emphasis on the cellular responses of organisms. By integrating hormesis into evolutionary thinking, this review offers a new perspective on how immediate stress responses may contribute to long-term evolutionary diversification and provides valuable insights for the design of future research strategies.

Throughout evolution, living beings have had to face and resist adverse conditions that tested their adaptive capacity. As a result, they have developed processes such as hormesis to ensure their survival and their ability to thrive in challenging environments. Currently, this process is recognized as a key mechanism that complements Darwin and Wallace’s theory of evolution, making it necessary to explore its relationship with other processes linked to natural selection such as adaptation, adaptability, plasticity, variation, and variability, among the main ones. Subsequent research within the framework of Neo-Darwinism and Modern Synthesis better explains hormesis and the understanding of the complexity of biological responses. In this framework, there is a great need to put hormesis in context based on the laws of variation and inheritance and establish a consistent, updated, and expanded definition that allows the integration of hormesis with evolutionary processes. In addition, the biological mechanisms through which hormesis may be related to the evolutionary process are discussed.