dystrophic Applied to a lake that has become so shallow (through organic and inorganic sedimentation) and so depleted of oxygen (through the aerobic bacterial decomposition of the organic matter), that bog begins to form and peat to develop. A dystrophic lake may be regarded as the post-eutrophic stage in the transitional sequence, over geological time, of lake sedimentation, productivity, and maturity. These sequential phases are termed oligotrophic, mesotrophic, eutrophic, and dystrophic.

dystrophic Describing a body of water, such as a lake, that contains large amounts of undecomposed organic matter derived from terrestrial plants. Dystrophic lakes are poor in dissolved nutrients and therefore unproductive; they are common in peat areas and may develop into peat bogs. Compare eutrophic; mesotrophic; oligotrophic.

dystrophic Applied to a lake that is usually shallow, rich in humus giving its water a brown colour, with variable amounts of nutrients, and with the deeper water often depleted of oxygen. A dystrophic lake was proposed (by A. Thienemann in 1925) as one of three categories of standing water, the others being described as oligotrophic and eutrophic, with mesotrophic water comprising an intermediate category.