oligotroph

plural oligotrophs

1. An organism capable of living in an environment that offers very low levels of nutrients.

   While some were common types that thrive on human skin, such as Staphylococcus species, others were oligotrophs, rarer microorganisms that have adapted to grow under extreme conditions by absorbing trace nutrients from the air or from unlikely surfaces like paint.

   2007 October 9, Warren E. Leary, “In NASA’s Sterile Areas, Plenty of Robust Bacteria”, in New York Times