Growth is an increase in the size and weight of living organisms. Growth and development

Living beings grow and develop. Each organism starts its journey from a single cell. Gradually, tissues and organs are formed. The growth and development of living organisms is not the same thing. Growth is an increase in size and weight. But living organisms also go through a number of transformations, which include such a process as development.

What is the growth of a living organism?

Think about a newborn baby. He has all the features of an adult, but very tiny. After many years, children become larger and gradually become the same adults. This process is the growth or increase in the size and mass of living organisms. But a small child was once a single cell, which later turned into a zygote, then into a fetus, and then into a tiny baby.

In some organisms, growth is associated with radical transformation. Take, for example, a butterfly. She begins her journey as a larva, then turns into a caterpillar, then into a chrysalis, from which a beautiful butterfly flies out. All living beings grow and develop.

So, plants are born from a seed and turn into a large tree, a flower or a bush. Some organisms in the process of growth retain an external resemblance to their parents, and some may have some minor changes - it all depends on genetics.

Growth and development are one and the same?

These two concepts sometimes act as interchangeable, but still Growth and development of living organisms describe individual events in the organization of growing up. Development is a progression from earlier to later stages of maturation, for example, the seed develops into a mature tree. It is a process in which tissues, organs and whole plants are formed. It includes growth, morphogenesis (the acquisition of form and structure) and differentiation. The interaction of the environment and the genetic instructions inherited by the cells determine how the specific organism will evolve.

Growth is not just an increase in the size and mass of living organisms, it is also an irreversible change in the size of cells and organs due to their division and expansion. It happens that after reaching a certain stage, this process slows down or stops, but sometimes the cells continue to divide endlessly (this applies more to plants).

Plants are different from animals in their growth. Thus, as young animals mature, all parts of their bodies grow until they reach a genetically determined size for each species. The growth of plants, on the other hand, continues throughout life and is limited only to certain meristems.

Growth in terms of biomass

The increase in the size and mass of living organisms can be measured from the point of view of biomass, that is, determining the amount of organic material with the exception of water. The body grows by dividing the mitotic cells (mitosis). This process is accompanied by an increase in cell size. Therefore, increasing the size and weight of living organisms - their growth - is one of the main signs of all living organisms, along with the presence of metabolism, the ability to respond to irritation, movement, reproduction, and so on.