oligotropic1
/ˌɒlɪɡə(ʊ)ˈtrɒpɪk/ /ˌɒlɪɡə(ʊ)ˈtrəʊpɪk/Entomology
adjective
Of an insect, especially a bee: collecting nectar from the flowers of only a few related plants. Contrasted with polytropic.
Origin
Late 19th century. From oligo- + -tropic, after German oligotrop, adjective.
oligotropic2
/ˌɒlɪɡə(ʊ)ˈtrɒpɪk/ /ˌɒlɪɡə(ʊ)ˈtrəʊpɪk/Ecology
adjective
= oligotrophic.
Origin
1940s; earliest use found in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Variant of oligotrophic, by association of the second element with -tropic.