deacclimate

Deacclimate refers to the process of an organism losing its acclimatization to a particular environment. Acclimatization is the physiological adjustment that occurs over time when an organism is exposed to new environmental conditions, such as changes in temperature, altitude, or salinity. When an organism returns to its original or a different environment after a period of acclimatization, or if the environmental conditions it has adapted to change significantly, it can undergo deacclimatization. This means the body's responses and tolerances that were developed for the previous environment gradually diminish or revert. For example, an athlete who trains at high altitude becomes acclimatized to the lower oxygen levels. If they then return to sea level, they will deacclimate, and their body will gradually adapt back to the higher oxygen availability, potentially making them less efficient at high altitude until re-acclimatization occurs. Similarly, organisms in aquatic environments may deacclimate to changes in water temperature or oxygen concentration if those conditions are no longer present. The rate and extent of deacclimatization depend on the organism, the degree of acclimatization, and the duration of exposure to the new or original environment.