Bacterial Diversity and the Chemical Ecology of Natural Product Producing Bacteria from Great Salt Lake

Great Salt Lake is the largest terminal lake in the United States and exhibits high salinity ranging from 5 percent to saturation, as well as toxic concentrations of heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury. Currently, Great Salt Lake is experiencing a dramatic drought, which is predicted to further contribute to both its hypersalinity and toxic concentration of heavy metals. The unique and extreme environment of Great Salt Lake makes it an intriguing subject of study, both for its rich microbiome and its potential to harbor novel natural product-producing bacteria, such as known antibiotic producers, including Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. This study investigates the bacterial diversity of two important regions within Great Salt Lake, with special attention paid to hotspots of known antibiotic-producing bacteria.