I am considering assessing the microbial biodiversity (using metagenomics with Oxford Nanopore MINION) in the soil of an arid area of Utah (Hanksville) that has dinosaur and other fossil remains.
1) Could it be argued that such a project could impact conservation efforts in general?
2) What is the likelihood such soil has interesting biodiversity (i.e. is it even worth investigating or would this likely be too "redundant"?)
3) What is the likelihood such soil has new species?
4) What is the likelihood such soil samples have pathogenic microorganisms?
As might be apparent, I am new to this field. Any ideas/knowledge sharing related to any of these questions would be greatly appreciated. As a novice, I am mostly trying to expand how I can even think about these topics more deeply. Thank you.
