Tag: biology

There are two types of population growth, geometric growth and logistic growth. Geometric growth is also called as exponential growth. Logistic growth is S shaped growth. Arithmetic growth is a linear growth. During cell division, cell divides into two. It increases cell number. During cell differentiation, cell specializes into different cell type. If division and differentiation are cocurrent then there will be negative control. It will regulate the cell division. Hence, the growth will be logistic.

In a sigmoid growth curve, there are three phases, lag phase, exponential phase and steady state phase. The upper limit of the curve is called as upper asymptote. It represents the period of equilibrium. At this stage, birth rate and death rate are at balance. It is said to be at equilibrium because at this stage, there is equilibrium between biotic potential and environmental resistance.

Ethylene is a gaseous hormone which stimulates the transverse growth but inhibits the longitudinal growth. Auxin delays the abscission of young leaves and provides nutrition to it so that they do not die down while ethylene increases the senescence of leaves and flowers and produces more gas which leads to loss of leaves.

J-shaped growth curve is a curve on a graph that records the situation in which, in a new environment, the population density of an organism increases rapidly in and exponential or logarithmic form, but then stops abruptly as environmental resistance or some other factor suddenly becomes effective. The actual rate of population change depends on the biotic potential and population size. It may be summarized mathematically as 

The stationary phase is the phase in which the growth of lant generally stops and the plant proceeds towards maturity it may occur due to the lack of nutrients majorly seen in the unfavourable season.

In geometrical growth both the progeny cells following mitotic cell division retain the ability to divide and continue to do so. However, with a limited supply of nutrients, the growth becomes slow which lead to the stationary stage. A sigmoid curve is the characteristic of organism living is the natural environment.