Growth

Introduction
The process of growth
- Types of growth
  - In cells
  - In plants
  - In animals
- Normal and abnormal growth
  - Tumours
  - Regeneration
  - Compensatory growth
Factors that regulate growth
- Environmental factors
  - Temperature
  - Pressure
  - Light
  - Chemical factors
- Internal factors
The dynamics of growth
- Measurement of growth
- The study of growth

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Observe how the sporophytic fern appears to unfurl upward as it grows from its rhizome

Observe the germination and growth of oat

Quizzes

greylag. Flock of Greylag geese during their winter migration at Bosque del Apache National Refugee, New Mexico. greylag goose (Anser anser)

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Related Questions

How can bone age be estimated from X-rays of a child's hands and wrists?
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How do lateral meristems increase the thickness of plant stems?
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How do vacuoles and water uptake cause plant cells to become larger?
How does a young seedling begin growing after germination?
How does apical dominance prevent lateral buds from growing?
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Where are intercalary meristems found in grasses?
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Where are the stem cells that produce mammalian red blood cells located?
Why do brain nerve cells undergo little cell division after embryonic development?
Why do early embryos divide into many smaller cells before increasing in overall size?
Why do lateral buds often grow after a plant's terminal bud is removed?
Why do most plants continue growing throughout their lives?
Why do plants need water for nutrient absorption and cellular processes?
Why does growth in most animals slow down or stop after the juvenile period?
Why does height growth stop when cell division and bone deposition end in long bones?
Why is height often more useful than weight for tracking a child's long-term growth?
Why is human height considered a polygenic trait?

Science Biology Life Cycle, Processes & Properties

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External Websites

National Center for Biotechnology Information - Growth and Development

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

growth - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
growth - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Growth

biology

Written by

Fred H. Wilt

Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Berkeley. Editor of Methods in Developmental Biology.

Fred H. Wilt

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 6, 2026 •History

Growth, the increases in cell size and number that take place during the life history of an organism. Growth is seldom random. Rather, it occurs according to a plan that eventually determines the size and shape of the individual. Growth may be restricted to special regions of the organism, such as the layers of cells that divide and increase in size near the tip of the plant shoot. Or the cells engaged in growth may...

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