Site-specific characterization of microbiological population structure in Tropical Lake Sentani, Indonesia

Lake Sentani, located in Papua Province, Indonesia. A unique feature is the lake's shape, as it is divided into four basins of which three separated by shallow sills and one by a narrow natural canal. The catchment is geologically highly diverse, ranging from carbonates over clastic sediments to igneous and metamorphic rock. The geochemical characteristics of sediment in rivers differs from those in estuaries and in the lake. Lake Sentani has a distinct microbial community that is closely related to the geochemical composition of the sediment. This study is to characterize the microbial community in surface sediment from a great number of locations in all four basins and the major tributary rivers and identify the distribution patterns in microbial community composition and compare them with the geochemical characteristics of the surface sediment. The result is used to try to understand the niche differentiation potential for microorganisms in the different habitats of Lake Sentani.