Acclimation
Acclimation (pronounced: ak-luh-MAY-shun) is a process in which an individual adjusts to a change in its environment (such as a change in altitude, temperature, humidity, photoperiod, or pH), allowing it to maintain performance across a range of environmental conditions. Acclimation occurs in a short period of time (hours to weeks), and within the organism's lifetime (compared to adaptation, which occurs over many generations).
Etymology
The term "acclimation" comes from the Latin acclimatio, which means "to get used to a new climate". It is derived from ad (to) and clima (region, climate).
Related Terms
- Adaptation: A process of genetic change that occurs over many generations, in response to changes in the environment.
- Acclimatization: Often used interchangeably with acclimation, though some scientists make a distinction between the two, using acclimatization to refer specifically to natural weather-related adaptations.
- Habituation: A form of learning in which an organism decreases or ceases its responses to a stimulus after repeated presentations.
- Thermoregulation: The ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Acclimation
- Wikipedia's article - Acclimation
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