Abstract
In their recent forum article, Schradin and colleagues [ 1. Schradin C. et al. Harshness is not stress. Trends Ecol. Evol. 2023; 38: 224-227 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar ] make an important distinction between the different responses of organisms to stressful and harsh environmental conditions. They argue – and we concur – that these represent distinct biological situations. Under stressful conditions, organisms typically increase their energy expenditure to address or escape the stressor; under harsh conditions, organisms often reduce energy expenditure in order to endure the situation. However, this distinction needs to be accompanied by explicit consideration of the organism–environment relationship and its evolutionary history. Once done, biologists are better positioned to ascertain empirical patterns related to stress and harshness that illuminate their origins and continued maintenance in organismal physiology.
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