Term Name:	stem cell population maintenance
Synonyms:	maintenance of pluripotency
Definition:	The process by which an organism or tissue maintains a population of stem cells of a single type. This can be achieved by a number of mechanisms: stem cell asymmetric division maintains stem cell numbers; stem cell symmetric division increases them; maintenance of a stem cell niche maintains the conditions for commitment to the stem cell fate for some types of stem cell; stem cells may arise de novo from other cell types.
Ontology:	GO: Biological Process [GO:0019827]    QuickGO    AmiGO