Acclimatization
Encyclopedia
Acclimatisation or acclimation is the process of an individual organism adjusting to a gradual change in its environment
, (such as a change in temperature, humidity, photoperiod, or pH) allowing it to maintain performance across a range of environmental conditions. Acclimatisation occurs in a short period of time (days to weeks), and within the organism's lifetime (compare to adaptation
). This may be a discrete occurrence or may instead represent part of a periodic cycle, such as a mammal
shedding heavy winter fur
in favor of a lighter summer coat. Organisms can adjust their morphological, behavioral, physical, and/or biochemical traits in response to changes in their environment. While the capacity to acclimate to novel environments has been well documented in thousands of species, researchers still know very little about how and why organisms acclimate the way that they do.
s making them more fluid in cold temperatures and less fluid in warm temperatures by increasing the number of membrane protein
s.
Organisms may also express specific protein
s called heat shock proteins that may act as molecular chaperons and help the cell maintain function under periods of extreme stress. It has been shown, that organisms which are acclimated to high or low temperatures display relatively high resting levels of heat shock proteins so that when they are exposed to even more extreme temperatures the proteins are readily available. Expression of heat shock proteins and regulation of membrane fluidity are just two of many biochemical methods organisms use to acclimate to novel environments.
Note: acclimation and acclimatisation are two very different terms that are not interchangeable. Acclimation is used under laboratory conditions, while acclimatisation is "in the field" or in nature.
in order to maintain performance in novel environments. Examples may include changing of skin color or pattern to allow for efficient thermoregulation
, or a change in body size of offspring as a result of low food levels in the ecosystem
.
. Despite such widespread support for the beneficial acclimation hypothesis, not all studies show that acclimation always serves to enhance performance (See beneficial acclimation hypothesis
). One of the major pitfalls of the beneficial acclimation hypothesis, is that it assumes that there are no costs associated with acclimation. However, there are costs associated with acclimation such as the energetic costs in expressing heat shock proteins.
Given the shortcomings of the beneficial acclimation hypothesis, researchers are continuing to search for a theory that will be supported by empirical data.
The degree to which organisms are able to acclimate is dictated by their phenotypic plasticity
or the ability of an organism to change certain traits. Recent research in the study of acclimation capacity has focused more heavily on the evolution of phenotypic plasticity rather than acclimation responses. Scientists believe that when they understand more about how organisms evolved the capacity to acclimate, they will better understand acclimation.
, and tomato
es, can survive freezing temperatures if the temperature gradually drops lower and lower each night over a period of days or weeks. The same drop might kill them if it occurred suddenly. Studies have shown that tomato plants that were acclimated to higher temperature over several days were more efficient at photosynthesis at relatively high temperatures than were plants that were not allowed to acclimate.
in cold, damp climates. Fish
are able to adjust only gradually to changes in water temperature and quality. Tropical fish sold at pet store
s are often kept in acclimatisation bags until this process is complete. Lowe & Vance (1995) were able to show that lizards acclimated to warm temperatures could maintain a higher running speed at warmer temperatures than lizards that were not acclimated to warm conditions.
content of sweat also decreases as people acclimatise.
Acclimatisation to high altitude
continues for months or even years after initial ascent, and ultimately enables humans to survive in an environment that, without acclimatisation, would kill them. Humans who migrate permanently to a higher altitude naturally acclimatise to their new environment by developing an increase in the number of red blood cells to increase the oxygen
carrying capacity of the blood
, in order to compensate for lower levels of oxygen
in the air.
Environmental change
Environmental change is defined as a change or disturbance of the environment by natural ecological processes, and is described in the following articles:*Climate change*Environment...
, (such as a change in temperature, humidity, photoperiod, or pH) allowing it to maintain performance across a range of environmental conditions. Acclimatisation occurs in a short period of time (days to weeks), and within the organism's lifetime (compare to adaptation
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
). This may be a discrete occurrence or may instead represent part of a periodic cycle, such as a mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
shedding heavy winter fur
Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
in favor of a lighter summer coat. Organisms can adjust their morphological, behavioral, physical, and/or biochemical traits in response to changes in their environment. While the capacity to acclimate to novel environments has been well documented in thousands of species, researchers still know very little about how and why organisms acclimate the way that they do.
Biochemical
In order to maintain performance across a range of environmental conditions, there are several strategies organisms use to acclimate. In response to changes in temperature, organisms can change the biochemistry of cell membraneCell membrane
The cell membrane or plasma membrane is a biological membrane that separates the interior of all cells from the outside environment. The cell membrane is selectively permeable to ions and organic molecules and controls the movement of substances in and out of cells. It basically protects the cell...
s making them more fluid in cold temperatures and less fluid in warm temperatures by increasing the number of membrane protein
Membrane protein
A membrane protein is a protein molecule that is attached to, or associated with the membrane of a cell or an organelle. More than half of all proteins interact with membranes.-Function:...
s.
Organisms may also express specific protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
s called heat shock proteins that may act as molecular chaperons and help the cell maintain function under periods of extreme stress. It has been shown, that organisms which are acclimated to high or low temperatures display relatively high resting levels of heat shock proteins so that when they are exposed to even more extreme temperatures the proteins are readily available. Expression of heat shock proteins and regulation of membrane fluidity are just two of many biochemical methods organisms use to acclimate to novel environments.
Note: acclimation and acclimatisation are two very different terms that are not interchangeable. Acclimation is used under laboratory conditions, while acclimatisation is "in the field" or in nature.
Morphological
Organisms are able to change several characteristics relating to their morphologyMorphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
in order to maintain performance in novel environments. Examples may include changing of skin color or pattern to allow for efficient thermoregulation
Thermoregulation
Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different...
, or a change in body size of offspring as a result of low food levels in the ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
.
Theory
While the capacity for acclimation has been documented in thousands of species, researches still know very little about how and why organisms acclimate in the way that they do. Since researchers first began to study acclimation, the overwhelming hypothesis has been that all acclimation serves to enhance the performance of the organism. This idea has come to be known as the beneficial acclimation hypothesisBeneficial acclimation hypothesis
The Beneficial Acclimation Hypothesis is the physiological hypothesis that acclimating to a particular environment provides an organism with advantages in that environment...
. Despite such widespread support for the beneficial acclimation hypothesis, not all studies show that acclimation always serves to enhance performance (See beneficial acclimation hypothesis
Beneficial acclimation hypothesis
The Beneficial Acclimation Hypothesis is the physiological hypothesis that acclimating to a particular environment provides an organism with advantages in that environment...
). One of the major pitfalls of the beneficial acclimation hypothesis, is that it assumes that there are no costs associated with acclimation. However, there are costs associated with acclimation such as the energetic costs in expressing heat shock proteins.
Given the shortcomings of the beneficial acclimation hypothesis, researchers are continuing to search for a theory that will be supported by empirical data.
The degree to which organisms are able to acclimate is dictated by their phenotypic plasticity
Phenotypic plasticity
Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of an organism to change its phenotype in response to changes in the environment. Such plasticity in some cases expresses as several highly morphologically distinct results; in other cases, a continuous norm of reaction describes the functional interrelationship...
or the ability of an organism to change certain traits. Recent research in the study of acclimation capacity has focused more heavily on the evolution of phenotypic plasticity rather than acclimation responses. Scientists believe that when they understand more about how organisms evolved the capacity to acclimate, they will better understand acclimation.
Plants
Many plants, such as maple trees, irisesIris (plant)
Iris is a genus of 260-300species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species...
, and tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
es, can survive freezing temperatures if the temperature gradually drops lower and lower each night over a period of days or weeks. The same drop might kill them if it occurred suddenly. Studies have shown that tomato plants that were acclimated to higher temperature over several days were more efficient at photosynthesis at relatively high temperatures than were plants that were not allowed to acclimate.
Animals
Animals acclimatise in many ways. Sheep grow very thick woolWool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
in cold, damp climates. Fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
are able to adjust only gradually to changes in water temperature and quality. Tropical fish sold at pet store
Pet store
A pet store or pet shop is a retail business which sells different kinds of animals. Pet stores also sell pet food, supplies, and accessories....
s are often kept in acclimatisation bags until this process is complete. Lowe & Vance (1995) were able to show that lizards acclimated to warm temperatures could maintain a higher running speed at warmer temperatures than lizards that were not acclimated to warm conditions.
Humans
The saltSalt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
content of sweat also decreases as people acclimatise.
Acclimatisation to high altitude
Effects of high altitude on humans
The effects of high altitude on humans are considerable. The percentage saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen determines the content of oxygen in our blood. After the human body reaches around 2,100 m above sea level, the saturation of oxyhemoglobin begins to plummet...
continues for months or even years after initial ascent, and ultimately enables humans to survive in an environment that, without acclimatisation, would kill them. Humans who migrate permanently to a higher altitude naturally acclimatise to their new environment by developing an increase in the number of red blood cells to increase the oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
carrying capacity of the blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
, in order to compensate for lower levels of oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
in the air.