Discrete Community Assembly Within Hypersaline Paleolake Sediments Along a Geological Transect in the Great Salt Lake Desert, Utah. Pilot Valley Basin Microbial Ecology

Hypersaline paleolake sediments are understudied microbial ecosystems that harbor a breadth of microbial diversity and high biotechnological potential. Here we present the first documented study of the microbial ecology of the Pilot Valley Basin, a sub basin of ancient Lake Bonneville located in northwest Utah. the microbial ecology along a defined study transect was investigated in order to characterize the biological diversity within the playa environment, assess the relationship, if any, between the microbial diversity and the mineralogical and geochemical variation present in the basin. Results show that a novel ecosystem is present in Pilot Valley and community assembly is influenced by the lithological characteristic of grain size.