title: Experiments, analyses and decisions: hormesis in ecotoxicology.
abstract: We have been challenged by Peter Chapman to consider the implication of hormesis for both ecotoxicology and ecological risk assessment. A consideration of his proposal led to the following observations and comments. I echo his comments related to the need for experimental designs and statistical tools that accommodate and address hormesis. I expand on his comments related to the basic question of how adverse responses should be defined for hormetic concentration-response patterns for both individual species and populations. Finally, I reflect on the notion of the implication of incorrectly detecting or not detecting hormesis in an ecosystem.
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Toxicology and Statistics, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, USA.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bailer
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D003657:Decision Making; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D017753:Ecosystem; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012107:Research Design; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants