Radiation and evolution: from Lotka-Volterra equation to balance equation

Abstract

The paper presents the concept of balance equation as a result of jostling process between detrimental and beneficial factors due to ionising radiation impact on the human population. The Lotka-Volterra equation was used to describe the evolution process of the population in low-dose radiation environment. The balance equation, which is a result of Lotka-Volterra's equation stabilisation over time, describes correctly most of the human population, wherein the probability of detrimental (cancerous) processes equals the probability of beneficial (hormetic) processes. It concludes that most of people respond via threshold dose-response curve, while radiosensitive people respond using linear model and radioresistant people respond using hormetic one.