Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Oligotrophic
An Oligotrophic refers to any environment which offers little to sustain life. This term is usually used to describe bodies of water with very low nutrient levels.
Greek etymology: Oligo : small, little, few and trophe : nutrients, food.
Oligotrophic environments are of special interest for the alternative energy sources and survival strategies life could rely upon.
Examples of oligotrophic environments
An especially fascinating example of such a lake is Lake Vostok, a liquid freshwater lake which has been isolated from the world beneath 4 km of Antarctic ice for approximately 500,000 years.
10-26-2009 08:16:03
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details