Applications of the hormesis concept in soil and environmental health research

Hormesis refers to positive biological effects caused by exposure to low doses of a stressor known to be toxic at higher doses. These effects include an enhanced defense system and stimulated plant/microorganism growth and reproduction. Hormesis has emerged as a fundamental concept with broad releva...

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Main Authors: Evgenios Agathokleous, Chen-Jing Liu, Edward J. Calabrese
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-03-01
Series:Soil & Environmental Health
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949919423000031
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author Evgenios Agathokleous
Chen-Jing Liu
Edward J. Calabrese
author_facet Evgenios Agathokleous
Chen-Jing Liu
Edward J. Calabrese
author_sort Evgenios Agathokleous
collection DOAJ
description Hormesis refers to positive biological effects caused by exposure to low doses of a stressor known to be toxic at higher doses. These effects include an enhanced defense system and stimulated plant/microorganism growth and reproduction. Hormesis has emerged as a fundamental concept with broad relevance to the field of soil and environmental health. Its utilization in evaluating environmental effects and ecotoxicity can reduce uncertainties introduced by extrapolating from high to low doses of pollutants. Similarly, its consideration in risk assessment can help tackle toxicity risks imposed by chemical mixtures. Further, it can maximize the effectiveness of novel agrochemicals applied at the lowest possible concentration, thus reducing their ecological and human risks. Hormesis-based interventions, such as plant priming and stimulation of beneficial insects and waste-degrading microbes, can further reduce agrochemical loads into the environment, thereby enhancing plant and soil health. Inclusion of hormesis in strategies to control harmful organisms, such as pests, pathogenic microbes and harmful algal bloom organisms, can aid in combating chemical resistance. Hormesis-inclusive studies also provide useful information regarding suitable pollutant tolerance levels for microorganisms and plants during bioremediation and phytoremediation, thus enhancing environmental remediation. In sum, hormesis is highly relevant and offers numerous potential applications in soil and environmental health research.
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spelling doaj.art-be053921fa57465e8f3195b65dcad08c2024-01-25T05:25:05ZengElsevierSoil & Environmental Health2949-91942023-03-0111100003Applications of the hormesis concept in soil and environmental health researchEvgenios Agathokleous0Chen-Jing Liu1Edward J. Calabrese2Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Research Center for Global Changes and Ecosystem Carbon Sequestration & Mitigation, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, ChinaInstitute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Corresponding author.Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USAHormesis refers to positive biological effects caused by exposure to low doses of a stressor known to be toxic at higher doses. These effects include an enhanced defense system and stimulated plant/microorganism growth and reproduction. Hormesis has emerged as a fundamental concept with broad relevance to the field of soil and environmental health. Its utilization in evaluating environmental effects and ecotoxicity can reduce uncertainties introduced by extrapolating from high to low doses of pollutants. Similarly, its consideration in risk assessment can help tackle toxicity risks imposed by chemical mixtures. Further, it can maximize the effectiveness of novel agrochemicals applied at the lowest possible concentration, thus reducing their ecological and human risks. Hormesis-based interventions, such as plant priming and stimulation of beneficial insects and waste-degrading microbes, can further reduce agrochemical loads into the environment, thereby enhancing plant and soil health. Inclusion of hormesis in strategies to control harmful organisms, such as pests, pathogenic microbes and harmful algal bloom organisms, can aid in combating chemical resistance. Hormesis-inclusive studies also provide useful information regarding suitable pollutant tolerance levels for microorganisms and plants during bioremediation and phytoremediation, thus enhancing environmental remediation. In sum, hormesis is highly relevant and offers numerous potential applications in soil and environmental health research.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949919423000031Dose-response relationshipEcological and human riskEnvironmental remediationEcotoxicitySoil pollutantsChemical resistance
spellingShingle Evgenios Agathokleous
Chen-Jing Liu
Edward J. Calabrese
Applications of the hormesis concept in soil and environmental health research
Soil & Environmental Health
Dose-response relationship
Ecological and human risk
Environmental remediation
Ecotoxicity
Soil pollutants
Chemical resistance
title Applications of the hormesis concept in soil and environmental health research
title_full Applications of the hormesis concept in soil and environmental health research
title_fullStr Applications of the hormesis concept in soil and environmental health research
title_full_unstemmed Applications of the hormesis concept in soil and environmental health research
title_short Applications of the hormesis concept in soil and environmental health research
title_sort applications of the hormesis concept in soil and environmental health research
topic Dose-response relationship
Ecological and human risk
Environmental remediation
Ecotoxicity
Soil pollutants
Chemical resistance
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949919423000031
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AT edwardjcalabrese applicationsofthehormesisconceptinsoilandenvironmentalhealthresearch