Finding Life in Unexpected Places:
Weber State’s Julie Jung and the Great Salt Lake

Just 30 miles away from Weber State University lies a mysterious landscape characterized by high salinity and fluctuating water levels. The Great Salt Lake is one of the world’s most extreme ecosystems, and it is quietly reshaping what scientists know about life in severe environments and how that knowledge is carried into university classrooms. 

That hands-on fieldwork is what drew Weber State Professor Julie Jung and her colleagues to the lake. As she kayaked into the water, she was propelled by a challenge – to prove that life beyond brine shrimp and brine flies existed in those salt-saturated waters.

The Great Salt Lake’s receding water has exposed microbialites – stony mounds formed by microbes like algae and bacteria. These unveiled living habitats offered an opportunity to study life in intense conditions. Jung conducted research alongside Utah State University Professor of Biological Sciences Michael Werner during her postdoctoral work. 

"Present occurrences of them are really rare, but the Great Salt Lake has huge swaths, so it's one of the present occurrences of microbialites," said Jung. Now an assistant professor at Weber State University, Jung brings her fieldwork experiences to the classroom, showing students how science exists beyond textbooks and desks. 

While studying the microbialites, Jung and her colleagues discovered a roundworm that had never been documented in the lake before. The worm was identified as a new species of the genus Diploaimelloides, a nematode group that has adapted to extreme habitats. The discovery highlights how field research contributes to knowledge on a global scale – and how research done at universities impacts knowledge beyond individual study sites.

Jung said she and the team are not yet sure what role these nematodes play in the construction of the microbialites. “We have this hypothesis that they're ecosystem engineers, because they play such an important role in the microbialites, but there's a lot to be discovered,” she said.

Beyond identifying the new species, the research underscores the urgency of this work. When data were collected, the microbialites were more numerous, giving Jung and her team plenty to study, a reassuring contradiction to the belief that only brine species could survive the lake. By 2022, lake levels had dropped so significantly that microbialites were harder to find, and woaabi were far less abundant. “It was actually really surprising,” said Jung. The depletion in lake levels means opportunities for discoveries like woaabi are also depleting.

In an environment that is up to 8% saltier than the ocean, this tiny nematode has become an unexpected ambassador for the Great Salt Lake. “This species could serve as an important indicator of ecological change,” Jung said, a reminder that even the smallest creatures reveal important details about the environments they live in. Looking ahead, Jung hopes to explore and compare the remnants of prehistoric Lake Bonneville – work that reflects the curiosity-centered science Weber State champions in its own backyard.

Zoology Department   

Weber State University College of Science