Growth in Organisms Flashcards

All 12 cards in this deck

By which two processes does growth occur in animals?

Cell division (mitosis) followed by differentiation.

Which three processes bring about growth in plants?

Cell division, cell elongation and differentiation.
Cell elongation does not happen in animals.

What is cell elongation in a growing plant?

A plant cell gets longer as its vacuole fills with water and the cell wall stretches.

Name three measurements that could be used to monitor the growth of a seedling.

Change in length (height), change in mass, and number or size of leaves (or width of the seedling).

On a percentile growth chart, what does it mean if a child's mass is on the 75th percentile?

75% of children of the same age have a lower mass, and 25% have a higher mass.

True or false? A baby whose mass is on the 5th percentile must have a growth problem.

False. The baby is small but may be growing normally; it is the pattern over time, such as crossing down through percentile lines, that suggests a problem.

What is differentiation?

The process by which an unspecialised cell becomes specialised for a particular function.
Also accepted: specialisation.

Why is cell differentiation important in the development of an organism?

It produces specialised cells, each with a structure suited to a particular function, which form the tissues and organs the organism needs.

What happens to a cell's structure when it differentiates?

It changes shape and develops different subcellular structures suited to its function.
e.g. a root hair cell grows a long extension to absorb water.

True or false? Cell differentiation increases the number of cells in an organism.

False. Cell division increases cell number; differentiation changes unspecialised cells into specialised ones.

True or false? In animal growth, cells divide first and then differentiate.

True. Cell division produces new cells, which then become specialised.

What is formed when a group of similar specialised cells work together?

A tissue.