Ph.D., Director, Great Salt Lake Institute and Professor of Biology
Westminster University
Bio:
Bonnie Baxter researches the microbial compartment of Great Salt Lake with a special interest in the microbialites that provide nourishment for brine fly larvae and pupae. Her interdisciplinary training includes degrees from Elon University (B.S. Biology and Chemistry) and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (Ph.D. Genetics and Molecular Biology), and a post-doctoral fellowship at Washington State University (Biochemistry and Biophysics). Dr. Baxter’s work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, NASA, and many private foundations. She has published dozens of scientific articles, but she also enjoys writing for the public. She recently co-edited and co-authored the first academic book on the biology of Great Salt Lake, Great Salt Lake Biology: A Terminal Lake in a Time of Change. She also co-wrote the first children’s book about this lake, The Great Great Salt Lake Monster Mystery. Her recent studies on microbialites demonstrate the devastating impacts of a shrinking salt lake, but suggest that a terminal basin is resilient, if we can get more water to Great Salt Lake. Ask her about aligning yoga poses with field sites..
Panel Discussion: On the Fly: The Unsung Insects Feeding Great Salt Lake Birds
Abstract: Brine flies may be the most important insect on the saline lakes corridor in the Western US, but they have flown under the radar, so to speak, and have not been a primary focus in most salt lake research. This panel will speak to the significance of the Ephydra species and their friends in the Great Salt Lake food chains. Brine flies have been under stress as salinity climbs in shrinking lakes, and the birds that eat them could also find themselves in peril. The panelists will broaden our view of the diversity of flies and their unique physiology. Also, how should we be monitoring them and how does this report on the health of the ecosystem? Join us as we investigate what we can do to protect brine flies and the birds they feed.