Chapter 10: Growth and Development

Edited by : NJ.NS.MMAP.WSWO September 2015

Define growth:
A permanent & irreversible increase in biomass, length, and width over a specific time.
Growth phases: Growth measurement:
1. Cell division: 1. Unicellular: Cannot measure individually
- Multiply by mitosis but by colony.
- Root / shoot tip 2. Multicellular: Can be measure
- Daughter cells genetically identical to individually
parent - Wet: The mass with its water content
- Daughter cell have dense protoplasm - Dry mass: the mass without its water
content
2. Cell enlargement: Wet mass:
- Cell absorbed water by osmosis Disadvantages :
- Elastic cell wall expand and increase in  Inaccurate measurement due to the water
size, volume and mass (metabolism). content of the organisms may vary.
- Initial enlargement occur in all direction Advantages :
- Later limited to specific direction  Organisms not killed, can be measured
repeatedly.
3. Cell differentiation/ specialization
- Cell mature to obtained permanent size Dry mass:
- Cell wall thicken Disadvantages :
- The unspecialized cells undergo  Organisms is destroyed / killed
progressive changes in metabolic  Unethical (especially animals)
activities  Same specimen can’t be measured
- Leads to changes in cell structures for continuously.
different function.  Need many individuals from a population
with similar age & size to measure
growth change & minimize errors
Advantages :
 Accurate measurement (plants)

Growth pattern:
Shows changes in number /size (growth parameters) of organism/ population over time (growth
rate)
Sigmoid: Human:
 S-shape curve  Consist of two S- shaped curves
 Most organism and populations.  5 major phases:
 Curve divided into 4 phases a) Infant phase (2 yrs):
a) Lag phase - Rapid growth for both gender.
- Growth is slow / little - Cells dividing rapidly > many more
- Organisms just introduced into new cell dividing
environment b) Childhood phase
- No limiting factors (abundance of - Slower growth
resources) - Slightly higher rate in males
- Food (nutrients), water, & space (shelter) compared to females.
enough - Longer in male (15 yrs) than female
- No waste accumulation (less or no disease (11 yrs)
due to toxic waste) c) Adolescents phase
b) Log/ Exponential phase - Rapid growth
- Rapid growth - Females enter at younger age & more
- No limiting factors (abundance of rapid growth than males.
resources) - Male enter at older age but become
- Food (nutrients), water, & space (shelter) higher compared to females.
- No waste accumulation (less or no disease - This results in the females attaining
due to toxic waste) puberty at an earlier age (around age

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Chapter 10: Growth and Development
Edited by : NJ.NS.MMAP.WSWO September 2015
c) Deceleration growth phase
- Growth decrease
- Limited by internal (metabolism) or d) Adult phase
external (resources) or both factors
- Less food (nutrients) & water
- space (shelter); crowded
- More waste accumulation > contamination
give rise to disease, health problem.
d) Stationary/ plateau phase e) Ageing phase
- Growth is constant
- Maturity achieved
- Rate of cell division = Rate of cell
mortality
- Net growth 0
Limited:
 Definite growth; growth does not occur  Indefinite
throughout life
 Often have S-shaped curve
 Eg: annual plants (pea, corn & paddy)
- Plant that completes its life cycle in one
year, start from germinates, flowers,
produces seeds and dies
Isometric:
 The growth of the organs of an organism grow
at the same rate as the rest of the body
 Change in size as organs grow but not
accompanied by the change in shape of the
organism
 The relative proportion of the organs and
whole body remain the same
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of 12) compared to males (around
age 14).
- Net growth is 0
- Most individuals have attained
maturity.
- Female: age 16
- Male: age 18
- Growth rate is negative (more cell
death than divide)
- Growth starts to decrease starting
from the age of 30.
Unlimited:
growth; growth occur
throughout life until death.
 Multiple S-shaped growth curve
- Woody perennial plants
- Plant that lives for number of years
- Show a cumulative series of sigmoid
curves
- Each of which represents one year’s
growth.
Allometric:
 The growth of certain organs at different
rate from each other and from the overall
body
 Involves changes in size and external
shape/ features of the organisms
 Example: Human organs
- In embryos the brain and head grow
Chapter 10: Growth and Development
Edited by : NJ.NS.MMAP.WSWO September 2015
 Example:
i. Fish
ii. Grasshopper
Intermitten:
 Discontinuous growth > interrupted by a series
of moulting/ecdysis.
 Occur in arthropods during metamorphosis
 Steps-like shaped (grow rapidly until limited
by hard exoskeleton until ecdysis)
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& develop in the early phase, but
hands & feet will developed
completely in the later stage.
- Change structure of skull from fetus
to adult
- Lymphoid tissue grow rapidly in
early childhood
- Reproductive organ grow only
during adolescent
Ecdysis :
 The process of changing the old
exoskeleton and replaced with new soft
layer and later become hard again.
 Occur periodically between instar stage
 Breathe in air to expand the body and
break old exoskeleton.
Metamorphosis :
 The process of changing shape from one
stage to another
 2 types
i. Complete:
- occur in holometabolic insects
(housefly, butterfly)
- 4 life stages (egg, larva, pupa &
imago)
ii. Incomplete:
- Occur in hemimetabolic insects
(cockroach, grasshopper)
- 3 life stages (egg, nymph & adult)
- Nymph resemble adult but smaller, no
wings & Sexually immature
Chapter 10: Growth and Development
Edited by : NJ.NS.MMAP.WSWO September 2015

Growth curve investigation

Absolute growth curve: Absolute growth rate curve:
 Growth parameter against time  Plot growth rate (absolute growth) against
 Eg; mass, height, size, etc time
 S-shaped curve  Bell-shaped curve
 Show growth pattern & how much growth  Shows growth rate pattern over time
have occurred.  Tells the max growth rate at bell peak
then fall to 0