The Evolutionary Ecology of Dormancy in Nature and in Cancer

Dormancy is an inactive period of organism’s life cycle that permits it to survive through phases unfavorable conditions in highly variable environments. not binary. There a continuum dormancy phenotypes represent some degree reduced metabolic activity (hypometabolism), feeding, and reproduction or proliferation. Similarly, normal cells cancer exhibit range states from quiescence long-term permit survival adverse environmental conditions. In contrast organismal dormancy, which entails reduction metabolism, (both cancer) primarily characterized by lack cell division. “Cancer dormancy” also describes state growth stagnation, could arise are necessarily hypometabolic non-proliferative. This inconsistent terminology leads confusion imprecision impedes progress interdisciplinary research between ecologists biologists. this paper, we draw parallels contrasts other ecosystems nature, discuss the potential for studies provide novel insights into evolutionary ecology dormancy.