Dystrophic lake

Dystrophic lakes, also known as humic lakes, are lakes that contain high amounts of humic substances and organic acids. The presence of these substances causes the water to be brown in colour and have a generally low pH of around 4.0-6.0. The presence of humic substances are mainly due to certain plants in the watersheds of the lakes, such as peat mosses and conifers. Due to these acidic conditions, few taxa are able to survive, consisting mostly of aquatic plants, algae, phytoplankton, picoplankton, and bacteria. Dystrophic lakes can be found in many areas of the world, especially in the northern boreal regions.