Diversity of Microbial Communities in Three Indonesian Salt Ponds: An Exploration of Extreme Biodiversity

Throughout the process of salt crystallization, microbial populations play a crucial role in determining the overall quality ofsalt. This study aimed to investigate the microbial diversity of traditional salt ponds in Indonesia. Regarding the diversity ofOperational Taxonomic Units (OTUs), Tuban exhibited the highest diversity in the high salinity category, Brebes showed thehighest diversity in the medium salinity category, and Sampang displayed the highest community diversity in the low salinitycategory. In all analyzed samples, the dominant bacterial communities belonged to the phyla Proteobacteria (14.64–71.39%),Bacteroidetes (6.26–17.00%) and Actinobacteria (1.89–12.54%), while the archaeal community was predominantly composedof the phylum Euryarchaeota (1.05–72.92%). Despite being in the same Java Sea region, all three salt ponds exhibitedvariations in their bacterial community profiles. This information provides an effective system for innovative biologicalsolutions aimed at improving the ecological health of traditional salt ponds. © 2023 Friends Science Publishers