“…High metabolic diversity was found in microbial mats near and within underwater freshwater springs (Ionescu et al., 2012), including phototrophic communities (green and purple sulfur bacteria, cyanobacteria) and potential metal reducers (mainly associated with Fe‐cycling). While life in the Dead Sea brines is strongly limited by hypersalinity and high divalent cation concentrations (Oren, 1999, 2010), dilution of the brine by freshwater spring onshore (Adar et al., 2014; Hirshberg & Ben‐Ami, 2019) or offshore (Häusler, Noriega‐Ortega, et al., 2014; Ionescu et al., 2012), or by heavy rainfalls (Levy et al., 2022; Oren, 1993; Oren et al., 1995), allows the diversification of microbial communities and metabolic potential, including the possible use of other metalloids.…”