Final answer:
Growth that is separate or semiconfluent is referred to as modular growth. This pattern is seen in the primary growth of plants from apical meristems. In cell culture, normal cells stop dividing at confluence due to contact inhibition, unlike cancer cells.
Step-by-step explanation:
A growth that appears separate or semiconfluent is referred to as modular growth. This type of growth is characteristic in plants, where growth is generally indeterminate, meaning it occurs without a defined end point, and the plants can continuously produce new modules, such as branch roots and branch shoots, from their meristems. These modular growth patterns emerge from the activity of the apical meristems found in plant structures such as roots, shoots and leaves. Primary growth in plants is produced by the apical meristems in roots and shoots whereas the lateral meristems are responsible for secondary growth. Specifically, when observing the growth of a culture, such as within a petri dish, normal cells will grow until they reach confluence forming a single layer signifying tissue formation and cease dividing due to contact inhibition.
Conversely cancer cells lack this regulation and continue to pile up, often described as growth without contact inhibition, which can lead to metastasis. These insights into cell division and expansion provide a deeper understanding of growth patterns within biological systems distinguishing healthy cellular behavior from malignant growth.