This project aims to isolate novel bacteria using semipermeable Silastic tubing embedded in soil. The isolates will be grown in standard media after initial growth in the Silastic tubes, then induced to produce antibiotics by exposure to sublethal amounts of antibiotics. Agar plugs containing putative metabolites will be placed on lawn cultures of test bacteria to test for zones of clearing. Isolates that are antibiotic will be characterized morphologically and phenotypically. Their genomes will be sequenced, and supernatants from their cultures studied for metabolites produced. The genomes will be analyzed for potential biosynthetic gene clusters. The metabolites will be identified by mass spectrometry and compared with the predicted BGCs. The data will be compared with the metagenomic data generated by the second project in this program. The isolates, genome sequences, and metabolite identities will be kept in stock for further research.