Assimilation comprises metabolic processes in which substances foreign to the organism are converted into substances of its own. These processes require energy. Photosynthesis, for example, is a form of assimilation. Green plants and some bacteria can obtain the required energy from light. They take up inorganic substances such as water, mineral nutrients and carbon dioxide and convert them by photosynthesis into energy-rich organic substances such as sugars, fats and proteins. The energy-rich substances produced in assimilation are called assimilates.

Back to Glossary Back to Term