Oligotrophic dimictic lake communities are the aquatic communities of nutrient-poor lakes that often occur in deep, steeply-banked basins. The lakes are dimictic, meaning they have two periods of mixing and turnover (spring and fall); they are stratified in the summer, then they freeze in winter and become inversely stratified. Common physical characteristics of oligotrophic lake communities include blue or green highly transparent water (Secchi disk depths from 4 to 8 m), low dissolved nutrients (especially nitrogen and calcium), low primary productivity, and sediment with low levels of organic matter. Additionally, the lakes have an epilimnion volume that is low relative to the hypolimnion, high dissolved oxygen levels year-round through all strata, and low alkalinity.

The plant community is primarily in the shallow parts of the lake, between 1 and 3 m (3 to 10 feet), and is dominated by rosette-leaved aquatic species. Characteristic species include seven-angle pipewort (Eriocaulon aquaticum), water lobelia (Lobelia dortmanna), quillworts (Isoetes echinospora ssp. muricata, I. lacustris), milfoils (Myriophyllum alterniflorum, M. tenellum), bladderworts (Utricularia purpuea, U. resupinata), tape grass (Vallisneria americana), and creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens).

The zoological community of oligotrophic dimictic lakes are diverse, and include a variety fish and invertebrates, but in low abundances. In the shallow areas the characteristic fishes are warm water species, such as smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui), redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus), pumpkinseed (L. gibbosus), rock trout (Ambloplites rupestris), and yellow perch (Perca flavescens). In the deeper waters, cold water species, such as lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and round whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceium) are common. Characteristic mollusks include freshwater mussels such as eastern lampmussel (Lampsilis radiata), eastern elliptio (Elliptio complanata), and eastern floater (Pyganodon cataracta), and snail species such as ramshorn snail (Heliosoma trivolvis), physid snail (Physa heterostropha), and amnicolas (Amnicola spp.). Other invertebrate species characteristic of oligotrophic dimictic lakes are midge larvae, such as Tanytarsus spp. and Procladious spp., caddisflies (order Trichoptera), and oligochaete worms (order Oligochaeta).

A variety of phytoplankton and zooplankton species are present in oligotrophic dimictic lakes. Desmids (Staurastrum spp.), chrysophytes (Dinobryum spp.), and diatoms (Tabellaria, Cyclotella, Asterionella) are among the phytoplankton present, and rotifers (Phylum rotifera), copepods (Class Copepoda), and water fleas (Daphnia spp.) are often present in the zooplankton community.

A nutrient-poor lake within a deep, steeply-banked basin, with very clear water that is blue or green. Oligotrophic lakes have two cycles of mixing per year, and are characterized by low primary productivity, high dissolved oxygen, and low alkalinity. The plant community includes rosette-leaved species such as water lobelia and seven-angled pipewort, and floating aquatic species such as tape grass, milfoil, pondweed, and bladderwort.

Known examples of this community have been found at elevations between 128 feet and 1468 feet.