Growth and Development in Plants
If you sow a seed in your garden or in a pot, after few days you would find a tiny seedling coming out from the seed. As days pass, the tiny seedling grows in size, the number of leaves increases, and later it grows into a mature plant and produces flowers and fruits. This is the process of growth and development. Besides growth and development plants also show movement, but it is not as clearly visible as in the case of animals.
Growth and Development
You must have noticed that all living organisms grow in size. But have you ever thought how a do they grow?
Growth takes place due to cell division, which increases the number of cells in the body. This process continues and we observe increase in weight, size and volume of all plants and animals. This is called Growth.
Growth in living organisms may be defined as an irreversible increase in the number and size of a cell, organ or whole organism.
Growth in living organisms is not uniform throughout the life span. Growth takes place at a faster rate till the plants or animals attain maturity. Then it slows down and at a particular time it stops. Later in life death occurs. All these changes that occur in an organism starting from its beginning till its death may collectively be termed as development. Development is associated with morphogenesis and differentiation. Morphogenesis is the process of development of shape and structure of an organism; and differentiation is the process of change in cells, tissues or organs to carry out different functions.
Development is the whole series of changes such as growth, differentiation and maturation, which an organism undergoes throughout its life cycle.
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