differential growth
Varying expansion rates
Differential growth is uneven growth rates across different parts of a structure, organism, or system.
In biology, it explains how tissues develop distinct shapes—a leaf curls because one side grows faster than the other.
In economics, it describes varying expansion rates among sectors, regions, or populations: Differential growth between urban and rural areas widened the income gap.
The concept appears wherever components of a whole develop at different speeds, creating change in form or proportion.
- unevenNot smooth or balanced
- asymmetryAbsence of balanced form
- elongationIncrease in length
- morphogenesisDevelopmental shape emergence
- bendingCurving from straight
curvature · tropism · cell division · shoot · root tip · auxin · hormone · gradient · meristem · expansion · stretching · warping · tension · embryo · development · plasticity · adaptation · sunlight
differential growtharrested development
Halted progression before completion
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