ABSTRACT

Living organisms must both adapt to change and maintain their integrity in order to survive. Young organisms must do this while engaging in ontological change and development. Changing to maintain integrity in the face of stressors, or threats to homeostasis, involves systems capable of orchestrating whole-body reactions to events, shifting energy and resources in ways that promote immediate survival, often at the expense of growth and repair. Thus, the systems that support adaptation to stressors are intertwined with those that support growth and development. Understanding these systems and their functioning is crucial to our understanding of developmental processes.