Individual growth

Individual growth is the increase in structural mass of an individual organism, in the context of the Dynamic Energy Budget theory. This frequently (but not always) goes with an increase in weight. A counter example is the growth of an embryo in an egg, which goes with a decrease in the weight of the egg during development. Some of this decrease is due to the loss of water in terrestrial eggs (e.g. of birds), but also by the loss of carbon dioxide during incubation (in all eggs). This latter flux is associated with maintenance and overhead costs of growth.