mesotrophicadj.
/ˌmɛsə(ʊ)ˈtrɒfɪk/, /ˌmɛsə(ʊ)ˈtrəʊfɪk/, U.S. /ˌmɛzoʊˈtrɑfɪk/, /ˌmɛzoʊˈtroʊfɪk/; see also meso- comb. form. Ecology.
Esp. of a lake or wetland: moderately rich in dissolved nutrients. Cf. eutrophic adj., oligotrophic adj.
ΚΠ
1911 A. G. Tansley Types Brit. Vegetation ix. 212 He [sc. Weber] also distinguishes intermediate stages of formation of the ‘mesotrophic peat’ as the characteristic vegetation of the ‘Uebergangsmoore’—transition moors—of various authors.
1916 B. D. Jackson Gloss. Bot. Terms (ed. 3) 230/2 Mesotrophic, applied to the peat of transitional moors.
1957 G. E. Hutchinson Treat. Limnol. I. ix. 644 Lakes exhibiting values between these ranges would reasonably be termed mesotrophic.
1964 D. A. Ratcliffe in J. H. Burnett Vegetation of Scotl. x. 433 Mesotrophic and eutrophic mires..typically contain an abundance of dicotyledonous herbs, whereas in oligotrophic mires, monocotyledons form a larger proportion of the vascular flora.
1968 A. C. Jermy & T. G. Tutin Brit. Sedges 90 Carex rostrata Stokes... A common and important component of upland mesotrophic wet-lands throughout Scotland.
1990 Jrnl. Plankton Res. 12 1246 The present study covers the range of mesotrophic to highly eutrophic conditions with regard to food quantity and P concentrations.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1911