Understanding Stress: Evolution, Physiology, and Adaptation in Animals

Stress research delves into the profound effects of stressors across biological systems, highlighting its central role in physiology, behavior, and adaptation. Chronic and acute stress remain critical factors impacting health and productivity in animals, yet their mechanisms and long-term consequences continue to be the subject of active debate and investigation. Multiple lines of evidence, including comparative studies on stress pathways—such as the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis and the sympathetic adrenal medullary system—reveal that both shared and species-specific adaptations exist. Recent research has advanced understanding of stress-induced behavioral changes, the modulation of blood pressure, and the function of endogenous peptides such as opioids in stress responses. The field is also witnessing ongoing advancement in modeling stress-related disorders, like post-traumatic stress syndrome and depression, particularly through innovative rodent models. However, significant knowledge gaps persist regarding the evolutionary context of stress, the comparative efficacy of mitigation strategies like environmental enrichment, and the nuanced interactions between different types of stressors and biological systems. These gaps underscore the need for interdisciplinary approaches and a broader species perspective.This Research Topic aims to deepen the scientific understanding of stress by exploring its mechanisms, diverse manifestations, and consequences in animals. The goal is to synthesize new findings on neuroendocrine pathways, physiological and behavioral responses, and the impact of various stressors, while also addressing the development of novel mitigation strategies. Furthermore, the Research Topic seeks to highlight advances in modeling stress and its disorders, elucidate the evolutionary underpinnings of stress, and compare stress adaptation and mitigation across taxa. Key research questions include: How do different species detect and respond to environmental and internal stressors? What are the latest advances in mitigating chronic or acute stress? How do nutritional, thermal, environmental, or restraint stressors impact welfare and productivity in diverse species?This Research Topic encompasses the physiological, behavioral, and evolutionary facets of stress, deliberately focusing on comparative, mechanistic, and applied research in animals (laboratory mammals, livestock, poultry, fish, birds, rodents). Submissions addressing both fundamental mechanisms and practical mitigation are encouraged, with the boundary set at biological, behavioral, and environmental dimensions of stress. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Neuroendocrine regulation of stress: Hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis and sympathetic adrenal medullary systemo Roles of opioid peptides and other mediators in stress responseso Behavioral and physiological manifestations of stresso Types of stress (nutritional, thermal, restraint, migration) and their impacto Evolution and comparative biology of stress responseso Stress in specific taxa: mammals (laboratory and livestock), poultry, fish, birdso Rodent models for stress, post-traumatic stress syndrome, and depressiono Consequences of stress for reproductive biology in mammals and birdso Strategies to reduce or mitigate stress, including environmental enrichmento Interactions between different types of stressors and adaptive responses Topic editors: Colin Guy Scanes, Gregory Fraley, Krystyna Pierzchała-Koziec Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78667/understanding-stress-evolution-physiology-and-adaptation-in-animals