Freshwater metagenomes from four depth profiles in a N-S transect of Lake Malawi (Malawi)

This study describes the microbial communities of four depth profiles in a N-S transect of Lake Malawi (Malawi) using high throughput metagenomic sequencing with long- and short read technologies (Oxford Nanopore and Illumina). Water samples were taken from 2-4 different depths (5 m, 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, depending on the maximum depth at the sampling site). 7-15 L of water were prefiltered through a plankton net (20 µm) and a 5-µm filter and then filtered onto polysulfone filters with a pore size of 0.22 µm until filters were clogged. DNA was extracted from the 0.22 µm filter (small, planktonic fraction) to obtain genomic DNA of the microbial community. All commercial interests in the data from Lake Malawi are reserved by the Government of Malawi, any proposed commercial use requires negotiation of a separate agreement by the intended user with the Government of Malawi, according to an ABS contract between the Government of the Republic of Malawi and the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences.